Cellulose-alginate hydrogels and their nanocomposites for water remediation and biomedical applications

Ashvinder Kumar Rana, VG Gupta, Phil Hart, Vijay Kumar Thakur*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

22 Citations (Scopus)
341 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In the last decade, both cellulose and alginate polysaccharides have been extensively utilized for the synthesis of biocompatible hydrogels because of their alluring characteristics like low cost, biodegradability, hydrophilicity, biodegradability, ease of availability and non-toxicity. The presence of abundant hydrophilic functional groups (like carboxyl and hydroxyl) on the surface of cellulose and alginate or their derivatives makes these materials promising candidates for the preparation of hydrogels with appealing structures and characteristics, leading to growing research in water treatment and biomedical fields. These two polysaccharides are typically blended together to improve hydrogels' desired qualities (mechanical strength, adsorption properties, cellulose/alginate yield). So, keeping in view their extensive applicability, in the present review article, recent advances in the development of cellulose/nanocellulose-alginate-based hydrogels and their relevance in water treatment (adsorption of dyes, heavy metals, etc.) and biomedical field (wound healing, tissue engineering, drug delivery) has been reviewed. Further, impact of other inorganic/organic additives in cellulose/nanocellulose-alginate-based hydrogels properties like contaminants adsorption, drug delivery, tissue engineering, etc., has also been studied. Moreover, the current difficulties and future prospects of nanocellulose-alginate-based hydrogels regarding their water purification and biomedical applications are also discussed at the end.
Original languageEnglish
Article number117889
JournalEnvironmental Research
Volume243
Early online date10 Dec 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPrint publication - 15 Feb 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors

Keywords

  • Antimicrobial
  • Adsorption
  • Tissue engineering
  • Drug delivery
  • Nanocellulose-alginate
  • Water purification

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Cellulose-alginate hydrogels and their nanocomposites for water remediation and biomedical applications'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this