Preparation and characterization of calcium silicate-calcium alginate composite hydrogel film

Calcium silicate-calcium alginate (CaSiO₃-CaAlg) composite hydrogel plate films were prepared by calcium ion cross-linking the mixture of calcium silicate and sodium alginate, and their morphologies were observed. The CaSiO₃-CaAlg film was characterized by FTIR, TG and XRD. The mechanical tensile properties of CaSiO₃-CaAlg composite hydrogel films with different contents of CaSiO₃ on the CaAlg were investigated under wet condition. The results show that the CaSiO₃ and CaAlg have good compatibility and the addition of CaSiO₃ can improve the thermal performance of CaAlg. With the increase of calcium silicate in CaSiO₃-CaAlg composite hydrogel membrane, the limited stress first increases, and then decreases. The preparation of CaSiO₃-CaAlg composite film is simple, without using any organic solvent and is easily to be batch produced. The thickness of the film is controllable and uniform. CaSiO₃-CaAlg composite hydrogel films are expected to be used in tissue engineering and medical dressings.