Studies on the structure–property relationship of sodium alginate based thixotropic hydrogels

Abstract

Sodium alginate (Na-Alg) reacted with 1-naphthylamine in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]-carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC·HCl) affording an amide derivative capable of forming soft hydrogel at a concentration of 4% w/v. The latter upon gentle stirring turned into a viscous sol, which assumed the original gel structure upon standing at room temperature in a reversible process. Such thixotropic materials have the potential to be used in biomedical applications and as sensors.