Highly lubricious poly(vinyl alcohol)-poly(acrylic acid) hydrogels.

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels have desirable characteristics for use as artificial cartilage, such as biocompatibility, high water content, and surface lubricity. However, PVA hydrogels are not strong enough to withstand the demanding load-bearing environment in human joints. Thermal annealing can greatly improve compressive strength, but it also causes substantial loss in water content and lubricity.

Effects of solvent dehydration on creep resistance of poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel.

As a synthetic replacement material for osteochondral defect repair, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels offer a great potential due to their high water content and strong mechanical integrity. To survive the high stress environment in the joint space, high creep resistance becomes one of the key requirements for hydrogel implants. We hypothesized that reducing the equilibrium water content (EWC) of hydrogels would improve their creep resistance.