Cotton gauze-hydrogel composites: Valuable tools for electrically modulated drug delivery

Cotton gauze was inserted into a hydrogel network composed of acrylamide, sodium methacrylate, and polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate to fabricate an electroresponsive delivery system for wound dressing. The composite was characterized by swelling measurements, showing that shrinking or swelling depend on the applied voltage. The release profile of incorporated diclofenac sodium salt shows the possibility to modulate the kinetics by changes in the amplitude and duration of applied electric pulses. Mathematical models allow a characterization of release profiles, which are slower when an external voltage of 6, 12, and 18 V is applied, and faster at 24 V.