Synthesis and characterization of hydrogels from alginate and ora‐pro‐nóbis (Pereskia aculeata Miller) mucilage

Abstract

This study aimed to synthesize and characterize hydrogels prepared with alginate (ALG) and ora‐pro‐nobis mucilage (MOPN) by ionic gelation. The hydrogels were produced from solutions containing 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, and 1.25% (w/v) sodium alginate, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0 and 1.25% (w/v) MOPN and 1.5 and 3.0% (w/v) CaCl2. The hydrogels were characterized in terms of mechanical strength, degree of swelling, morphology, chemical groups by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and x‐ray diffraction (XRD); and their thermal properties were assessed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA). The results indicated that MOPN acted with ALG in chain crosslinking, confirming its ability to interact with other polymers to form gels. The control hydrogel, composed of only ALG (1.5%), showed a more crosslinked and less amorphous structure with greater thermal resistance, while the hydrogel composed of ALG (1.25%) and MOPN (0.25%) showed a more amorphous, porous structure with lumps. However, these treatments were statistically equal in terms of mechanical strength and degree of swelling, indicating that ALG and MOPN hydrogels are an economically viable alternative to ALG‐only hydrogels, where 0.25% (w/v) of the ALG can be replaced by MOPN without significant changes in its mechanical and swelling properties.