2026-04-05T12:43:22Zhttps://recercat.cat/oai/request

oai:recercat.cat:2117/3870022026-02-07T12:03:32Zcom_2072_1033col_2072_452950

00925njm 22002777a 4500 dc Costa, Ana M. S. author Rodrigues, João M. M. author Pérez Madrigal, Maria del Mar author Dove, Andrew author Mano, João F. author 2020-11-18 With society’s growing awareness of climate change, novel renewable and naturally sourced materials have received increasing attention as substitutes for petroleum-based products. Laminarin (LAM–OH) is a highly abundant, nontoxic, degradable polysaccharide found in marine organisms and hence is a promising sustainable polymeric candidate. This work reports on a simple, environmentally friendly, and customizable functionalization strategy for producing a toolbox of LAM–OH derivatives under mild conditions. Herein, natural-origin macromolecules exhibiting specific chemical moieties, namely, allyl, amine, carboxylic acid, thiol, aldehyde, and catechol, were prepared and chemically characterized. Furthermore, the obtained polymers were processed into cytocompatible hydrogels, obtained by employing distinct cross-linking mechanisms, to assess their potential for biomedical purposes. The application scope of such polymers could be extended to fields such as catalysis, cosmetics, life sciences, and food packaging, which can also benefit from having sustainable, nontoxic, and degradable materials. Moreover, it is anticipated that the methodology employed to create this library of new natural-based products could be adapted to modify other polysaccharides and biopolymers in general. Postprint (author's final draft) Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria química Macromolecules Polymers Reaction products Carbohydrates Biopolymers Hydrogels Polymers Macromolècules Polímers Modular functionalization of laminarin to create value-added naturally derived macromolecules