Fabrication of polysaccharide aerogels with functional properties

Abstract

Aerogels of polysaccharides are biocompatible and biodegradable. They possess interconnected nano-felt fibrillar network and open porous microstructure. Designing the functional properties of aerogels can advance the material for desired applications. We present the chemical modifications of fibrillar network with chelating functional groups and physical modifications of open porous microstructure. Aerogels of polysaccharides with chelating functional groups such as -NH2, -OSO3H, -COOH have attracted great interest in recent research due to the fact that they can act as hosts in applications where high chemical affinity to guest atoms/molecules is required. Offering the host-guest chemical relation, aerogels of polysaccharide materials with chelating functional groups can be employed as carrier/supporting systems in many wide ranges of applications including filters and purifications, catalysis and biomedicine. Improving the sustainable properties by chemically modifying the frame of nanofibrillar network can enhance the materials reuse in many cycles. Aerogels of polysaccharides after physical modifications can enhance the useful physical properties. For instance bringing in the structural hierarchy is beneficial to improve the mechanical and permeability properties of aerogels. We demonstrate the emulsion template method producing the hierarchical porous structures of aerogels by varying the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) of surfactants. This method opens design routes for polysaccharide-based materials suitable for applications in new type of filters, since the emulsion template method allows tailoring the gas permeability and the nano-pores of the cell walls act as absorbers. References (1) K. Ganesan, M. Heyer, L. Ratke and B. Milow, “Facile preparation of nanofibrillar networks of “ureido-chitin” containing ureido and amine as chelating functional groups”, 2018, Chemistry A European Journal, DOI: 10.1002/chem.201804405 (2) K. Ganesan, A. Barowski, L. Ratke and B. Milow, “Influence of hierarchical porous structures on the mechanical properties of cellulose aerogels”, 2018, Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology, DOI: 10.1007/s10971-018-4828-2