Document Type : Review
Authors
1
Department of Organic Chemistry and Polymer, Fculty of Chemistry, University of Isfahan, Postal Code 81746-73441, Isfahan, Iran
2
Departement of Polyurethane and Advanced Polymers, Faculty of Science, Iran Polymer and Petrochemical Institute, P.O. Box 14975-112, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The production and consumption of synthetic polymers have faced limitations such as strict environmental laws, limited supply of raw materials, and high production costs. Therefore, natural polymers, especially polysaccharides like starch, cellulose, hemicellulose, chitin, chitosan, alginate, glucomannan, and agar have found wide applications for various industrial uses due to their properties, such as biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, the main problem with these polymers is their weak mechanical properties and processability, which have limited their use. Alginate is a biodegradable, biocompatible, non-toxic, hydrophilic, and inexpensive biopolymer that is found as part of the structural components of bacteria and brown algae in nature. Alginate can be easily modified through some physical and chemical processes and its various derivatives. The new alginate derivatives have different structures, functions, and properties, including improved mechanical strength cell affinity, and gelation properties. Polyurethanes have a wide range of applications in various industries, such as automotive, electronics, textiles, medical devices coatings, and insulation, due to their unique physical and chemical properties that can be tuned, such as flexibility, hardness, impact resistance, and moisture resistance Considering the above features of alginate and polyurethanes, extensive research has been conducted on the combination of these two materials to create new materials with special properties and novel characteristics. This article is an introduction on alginate and its derivatives as a natural polymer; and while discussing their structure properties and applications, an such extended review is presented on polyurethane alginate mixtures in various forms as films, elastomeric membranes, nanocomposites hydrogels, supramolecular ionic networks, porous scaffolds, and foams in various applications such as drug delivery systems, wound dressings, fire-resistant materials and adsorbents.
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