Design, preparation and characterization of ulvan based thermosensitive hydrogels

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Marine Biotechnology

Background:

• Sulphated polysaccharides from waste algal biomass offer potential for high-value material development.
• Ulvan, a polysaccharide from Ulva sp. seaweed, possesses chemical versatility and known bioactivity.
• Developing advanced materials from marine biomass is crucial for sustainable biomedical solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To convert waste algal biomass into advanced materials for biomedical use.
• To prepare and characterize ulvan-based hydrogels with thermogelling properties.
• To explore the potential of ulvan as a component in in-situ hydrogel systems.

Main Methods:

• Ulvan was extracted from green seaweed biomass.
• Ulvan was modified with acryloyl groups to serve as a macroinitiator.
• Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) chains were grafted onto ulvan via "grafting from" radical polymerization using UV irradiation.
• Thermogelling properties were assessed using thermal and rheological analyses.

Main Results:

• The first successful preparation of ulvan-based hydrogels with thermogelling behavior was achieved.
• The synthesized copolymer exhibited a sol-gel transition temperature between 30-31 °C.
• The results demonstrate the feasibility of using ulvan in thermogelling systems.

Conclusions:

• Ulvan-based hydrogels can be successfully prepared from waste algal biomass.
• The developed materials exhibit tunable thermogelling properties suitable for biomedical applications.
• This study highlights the potential of ulvan as a sustainable precursor for advanced hydrogel systems.