Effects of composition and pH on the degradation of hyaluronate and carboxymethyl cellulose gels and release of nanocrystalline silver.

Adhesions are fibrous tissue connections which are a common complication of surgical procedures and may be prevented by protecting tissue surfaces and reducing inflammation. The combination of biodegradable polymers and nanocrystalline silver can be used to create an anti-inflammatory gel to be applied during surgery. In this study, sodium hyaluronate and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose were added in concentrations from 0.

Effect of a Novel sputtering process on the chemical and biological properties of silver-gold alloys.

Silver-gold nanocrystalline films were sputtered on HDPE substrates by a physical vapour deposition process using alloys with a nominal composition of 65% silver/35% gold or 35% silver/65% gold by weight, with comparison to a 100% silver target. Novel process conditions were introduced to include both water and oxygen as reactive gases. X-ray diffraction and chemical digests were used to assess the structure and chemical composition of the films.