Preparation of nanocellulose-polyvinyl alcohol composite hydrogels from Desmodium intortum (Mill.) Urb.: Chemical property characterization

Abstract

Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) was extracted from Desmodium intortum (Mill.) Urb. by sulfuric acid hydrolysis, and the NCC and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were fused together by repeated freezing and thawing cycles to obtain nanofiber-polyethylene. The alcohol composite hydrogel was characterized by XRD, FTIR, and SEM methods. The results showed that nanocellulose is primarily blended with polyvinyl alcohol through physical cross-linking, and the water retention of the composite hydrogel is obvious. Specifically, when the amount of NCC added was 0.4%, the water content increased to 94.26%. In short, the nanocellulose extracted from Desmodium intortum (Mill.) Urb. can effectively improve the water retention and thermal stability of PVA, which provides an effective theoretical basis for the hydrogel in medical dressings and improves the application value of Desmodium intortum (Mill.) Urb.