Poly(vinyl alcohol)/cellulose nanowhiskers nanocomposite hydrogels for potential wound dressings.

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/cellulose nanowhisker (CNW) nanocomposite hydrogels to be used for wound dressing were obtained by freezing-thawing technique and characterized by means of morphological, physical, thermal, mechanical, barrier and antimicrobial properties. First, cellulose nanowhiskers were obtained by the acid hydrolysis of commercial crystalline microcellulose (MCC) and characterized by its size, shape, morphological, structural and thermal properties. Then, PVA/CNW nanocomposites with several CNW contents (0, 1, 3, 5 and 7wt.