Hydrogels of poly(vinyl alcohol) and collagen as new bioartificial materials. 1. Physical and morphological characterisation

Poly(vinyl alcohol) was used to make hydrogels containing various amounts of collagen. These ''bioartificial materials'', made of synthetic and biological polymers, were studied to investigate the effect of the presence of the collagen on the structural properties of the hydrogels. A comparison between thermal and morphological properties of collagen-containing hydrogels and hydrogels of pure poly(vinyl alcohol) was made