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Updated: Aug 5, 2025

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Swelling of Homogeneous Alginate Gels with Multi-Stimuli Sensitivity.

Haniyeh Malektaj¹, Aleksey D Drozdov¹, Jesper deClaville Christiansen¹

¹Department of Materials and Production, Aalborg University, Fibigerstraede 16, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

|March 29, 2023

Summary

A novel two-step method creates homogeneous alginate gels. These stable, stimuli-responsive gels mimic biological structures, offering potential in biomedical applications.

Keywords:

alginate gel catch bonds degradation environmental sensitivity ionic bonds swelling

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Last Updated: Aug 5, 2025

Synthesis of Thermogelling PolyN-isopropylacrylamide-graft-chondroitin Sulfate Composites with Alginate Microparticles for Tissue Engineering

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Published on: August 7, 2016

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Biomaterials Engineering
Polymer Chemistry

Background:

Alginate gels are widely used but achieving homogeneous structures with controlled properties remains a challenge.
Understanding the environmental response of polymer networks is crucial for developing advanced biomaterials.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a new, efficient two-step method for preparing homogeneous alginate gels.
To investigate the stability and environmental sensitivity of these homogeneous alginate gels.
To explore their potential as model systems for biomimetic applications.

Main Methods:

A two-step cross-linking process involving initial weak bonding with Ca2+ at low pH, followed by immersion in a concentrated CaCl2 solution.
Characterization of gel integrity across varying pH, ionic strength, and temperature conditions.
Analysis of gel degradation and swelling behavior in response to environmental stimuli.

Main Results:

The developed method successfully produced homogeneous alginate gels.
These gels demonstrated stability in aqueous solutions within a pH range of 2-7, ionic strength up to 0.2 M, and temperatures up to 50 °C.
Gel degradation and altered swelling were observed at low pH, indicating sensitivity to environmental conditions.

Conclusions:

The two-step preparation method yields robust and homogeneous alginate gels.
The gels exhibit tunable properties and environmental sensitivity, making them suitable for biomedical applications.
Homogeneous alginate gels can serve as a simplified model for complex biological polymer networks.