In this study, porous scaffold materials based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and gelatin (Gel) were successfully fabricated and characterized. The mechanism of the reaction, morphology, and crystallinity were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In addition, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed together with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for examining the thermostability and phase transformation of the scaffolds. Degradation and swelling studies of PVA/Gel composite scaffold materials were performed in phosphate-buffered saline. Finally, the mechanical performances had been determined. According to the results, the polymer matrix that was formed by the combination of PVA and gelatin had better thermal stability. The synthesized composite scaffold was amorphous in nature. The addition of gelatin did not affect the fishbone-like microstructure of PVA, which ensures the excellent mechanical properties of the PVA scaffold. The denaturation temperature and elastic modulus of the PVA scaffold were improved by the gelatin addition, but the physical and chemical properties of the PVA scaffold were weakened when the gelatin content exceeded 10%. In addition, the PVA-10G sample has suitable degradability. Therefore, the PVA/Gel composite scaffold might potentially be applied in the field of tissue engineering that demands high strength.
Keywords: gelatin; polyvinyl alcohol; porous scaffold.