Dialdehyde cellulose crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels: Influence of catalyst and crosslinker shelf life.

•Use of solubilized DAC as a crosslinking agent for PVA is investigated.•Molecular weight of DAC during aging governs properties of prepared hydrogels.•Low pH DAC solution can be used for crosslinking several weeks after preparation.•HCl as catalyst is more convenient than mixture of H2SO4, acetic acid and methanol.•DAC showed superiority over glutaraldehyde, namely at low concentrations.