Recent Advances in Polyvinyl Alcohol-Based Hydrogels for Antibacterial Medical Dressings

Abstract

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels have become widely utilized materials in the field of antibacterial medical dressings owing to their outstanding mechanical properties, excellent biocompatibility, and simple preparation processes, as well as their biodegradability and ease of modification. This paper first introduces the preparation methods of PVA hydrogels, then elaborates on the research progress of PVA hydrogel-based antibacterial dressings according to their classification, and finally discusses the current limitations and future development trends of PVA hydrogels in biomedical applications.