Exploring the kinetics of gelation and final architecture of enzymatically cross-linked chitosan/gelatin gels.
Biomacromolecules
; 16(4): 1401-9, 2015 Apr 13.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25772227
ABSTRACT
Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) was used to characterize the nanoscale structure of enzymatically cross-linked chitosan/gelatin hydrogels obtained from two protocols a pure chemical cross-linking process (C), which uses the natural enzyme microbial transglutaminase, and a physical-co-chemical (PC) hybrid process, where covalent cross-linking is combined with the temperature-triggered gelation of gelatin, occurring through the formation of triple-helices. SANS measurements on the final and evolving networks provide a correlation length (ξ), which reflects the average size of expanding clusters. Their growth in PC gels is restricted by the triple-helices (ξ â¼ 10s of Å), while ξ in pure chemical gels increases with cross-linker concentration (â¼100s of Å). In addition, the shear elastic modulus in PC gels is higher than in pure C gels. Our results thus demonstrate that gelatin triple helices provide a template to guide the cross-linking process; overall, this work provides important structural insight to improve the design of biopolymer-based gels.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Proteínas Bacterianas
/
Transglutaminasas
/
Quitosano
/
Gelatina
/
Geles
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Biomacromolecules
Asunto de la revista:
BIOLOGIA MOLECULAR
Año:
2015
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Reino Unido