Investigating the Self-Healing Properties of Hydrogels of Natural Nanocomposites Modified with Polyacrylamide with Medical Applications

The self-healing property refers to the ability of a substance to repair damage and restore its original function either intrinsically or non-intrinsically. In this study, the natural hydrophilic substance of the salep was used as a raw material for the preparation of hydrogels, and the free radical polymerization method was used to improve their properties and modify them. Then Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized and included in the matrix of nanocomposite hydrogels that had self-healing properties. The structure of the synthesized hydrogels was determined by FT-IR, and FE-SEM analysis, and their thermal stability was determined by TGA analysis. The swelling percentage of hydrogel nanocomposites was measured in different conditions. Self-healing properties of hydrogels were also investigated. Modifying the salep hydrogel using polyacrylamide and adding Fe3O4 nanoparticles to its structure increased structural strength, improved swelling, and self-healing properties; So that the salep nanocomposite hydrogel modified with polyacrylamide and containing 7% by weight of Fe3O4 nanoparticles, has the highest percentage of swelling (2335%), high thermal stability (about 550 °C), fast self-healing property (after 30-35 minutes at room temperature), the gel content value is equal to 81%.