Constructing Stiff ß-Sheet for Self-Reinforced Alginate Fibers.
Materials (Basel)
; 17(13)2024 Jun 21.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38998130
ABSTRACT
The application of alginate fibers is limited by relatively low mechanical properties. Herein, a self-reinforcing strategy inspired by nature is proposed to fabricate alginate fibers with minimal changes in the wet-spinning process. By adapting a coagulation bath composing of CaCl2 and ethanol, the secondary structure of sodium alginate (SA) was regulated during the fibrous formation. Ethanol mainly increased the content of ß-sheet in SA. Rheological analysis revealed a reinforcing mechanism of stiff ß-sheet for enhanced modulus and strength. In combination with Ca2+ crosslinking, the self-reinforced alginate fibers exhibited an increment of 39.0% in tensile strength and 71.9% in toughness. This work provides fundamental understanding for ß-sheet structures in polysaccharides and a subsequent self-reinforcing mechanism. It is significant for synthesizing strong and tough materials. The self-reinforcing strategy involved no extra additives and preserved the degradability of the alginate. The reinforced alginate fibers exhibited promising potentials for biological applications.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
Materials (Basel)
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
China
Country of publication:
Switzerland