TY - JOUR
T1 - Swelling of Homogeneous Alginate Gels with Multi-Stimuli Sensitivity
AU - Malektaj, Haniyeh
AU - Drozdov, Aleksey D.
AU - Christiansen, Jesper deClaville
PY - 2023/3/7
Y1 - 2023/3/7
N2 - 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 °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.
AB - 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 °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.
KW - alginate gel
KW - catch bonds
KW - degradation
KW - environmental sensitivity
KW - ionic bonds
KW - swelling
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85151109483&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/ijms24065064
DO - 10.3390/ijms24065064
M3 - Journal article
SN - 1661-6596
VL - 24
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
IS - 6
M1 - 5064
ER -