Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
Volume 24, Issue 6, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065064
Keywords
alginate gel; ionic bonds; swelling; degradation; environmental sensitivity; catch bonds
Ask authors/readers for more resources
A new two-step method for preparing homogeneous alginate gels is proposed. In the first step, alginate chains are weakly bonded by Ca2+ ions in a low-pH aqueous solution. In the next step, the gel is immersed in a strong solution of CaCl2 to complete the cross-linking process. Homogeneous alginate gels retain their integrity in aqueous solutions with pH ranging from 2 to 7, ionic strength from 0 to 0.2 M, and temperatures from room temperature up to 50 degrees C, and can be used in biomedical applications.
A new two-step method is suggested for the preparation of homogeneous alginate gels. In the first step, alginate chains are weakly bonded by Ca2+ ions in an aqueous solution with a low pH. In the next step, the gel is immersed into a strong solution of CaCl2 to finalize the cross-linking process. Homogeneous alginate gels preserve their integrity in aqueous solutions with a pH ranging from 2 to 7 and ionic strength in the interval from 0 to 0.2 M, at temperatures ranging from room temperature up to 50 degrees C, and can be used in biomedical applications. The immersion of these gels into aqueous solutions with low pH induces the partial breakage of ionic bonds between chains (treated as gel degradation). This degradation affects the equilibrium and transient swelling of homogeneous alginate gels and makes them sensitive to the history of loading and environmental conditions (pH, ionic strength and temperature of aqueous solutions). As sensitivity to the environmental stimuli is a characteristic feature of polymer networks connected by catch bonds, homogeneous alginate gels may serve as a simple model, mimicking the behavior of more sophisticated structures in living matter.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available