Properties of Hyaluronic Acid–Polyvinylpyrrolidone Blends as Green Plastic Materials

Abstract

Hyaluronic acid (HA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) have garnered considerable attention as components in biodegradable films and bioplastics due to their favorable physicochemical properties and biocompatibility. HA is known for its natural origin, biodegradability, and excellent biocompatibility, while PVP is valued for its outstanding film-forming ability, water solubility and non-toxic nature, making both polymers promising candidates for environmentally friendly and biomedical polymer systems. Investigating the combination of these two polymers may therefore provide findings of significant scientific relevance. This study investigates the influence of HA and PVP composition on the structural and physicochemical properties of their polymer blend films. Scanning electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses demonstrated excellent compatibility and miscibility between HA and PVP. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicates that the incorporation of PVP disrupts the intermolecular hydrogen bonding within HA matrix. Furthermore, SEM and X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that increasing the PVP content enhances morphological uniformity and crystallinity, respectively. Correspondingly, the mechanical properties of the films improve with higher PVP content. At an HA/PVP ratio of 1:7 (w/w), the films exhibit a tensile strength of 49.93 ± 9.34 MPa, an elongation at break of 6.89 ± 0.31% and an elastic modulus of 1.06 ± 0.24 GPa. The incorporation of PVP leads to lower film transparency, a higher water vapor transmission rate, and decreased surface wettability. Thermal analysis by thermogravimetric analysis and DSC indicates that the incorporation of PVP improves the thermal stability while simultaneously lowering the glass transition temperature.