Preparation of polyurethane/poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) semi-IPNs containing cellulose nanocrystals for biomedical applications

The purpose of this study was to prepare biocompatible and hydrophilic polyurethane (PU) nanocomposites by fabricating semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPNs) using cross-linked poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) in the presence of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) prepared from cellulose micro-fibers using the acid extraction method. CNCs had a mean length and diameter of 100 and 7 nm, respectively. A new acrylicurethane cross-linker agent (MS) was used for crosslinking of PHEMA which was made by reaction of hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and HEMA. The specifications of MS, CNCs, and semi-IPNs were examined via potential, NMR, FTIR, TEM, SEM, XRD, tensile, and an MTT assay. All the PU-based semi-IPNs were biodegradable, hydrophilic, and noncytotoxic, and also had suitable mechanical behavior. Hence, hydrophilic polyurethane bio-nanocomposites exhibiting better physicochemical characteristics and enhanced cell viability rates appear to be promising candidates for biomedical applications.