International Journal of Polymer Analysis and Characterization, 22, 1-10 (2017)

Abstract: Alginate is a natural polysaccharide that is widely employed in industrial applications. Here, beads of alginic acid, calcium and copper alginate were prepared by addition of soluble sodium alginate into a solution of hydrochloric acid or the corresponding cation. The progress of gelation inside the beads was followed by the degree of opacity at different times, which corresponded well to an apparent morphology change observed in freeze-dried bead cross sections analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, diffusion of Cu²⁺ ions across the beads was followed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, which revealed colocalization of the crosslinking cation and the morphologically distinct bead regions.

URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/1023666X.2016.1219834