A Biomass Based Photonic Crystal Hydrogel Made of Bletilla striata Polysaccharide

Bletilla striata is an herb with a good medicinal value whose main active ingredient is Bletilla striata polysaccharide (BSP) in the tuber of Bletilla striata. In this study, a polysaccharide-based semi-interpenetrating network hydrogel was constructed by introducing BSP into polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogel. The introduction of the BSP chain no only maintains the excellent mechanical properties of PAM, but also endows it with good biocompatibility. By implanting the colloidal crystal array into the above hydrogels, we obtained a novel biomass-based photonic crystal with good stimulus responsiveness that is sensitive to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), especially alcohol vapor. In addition, due to the scavenging ability of BSP to hydroxyl radicals, the photonic crystal hydrogel also has a good response to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).