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Title: The study of the structural properties of very low viscosity sodium alginate by small-angle neutron scattering

Journal Article · · AIP Conference Proceedings
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4944239· OSTI ID:22591015
 [1];  [2]
  1. Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science, 85747 Garching (Germany)
  2. Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Reactorului 30, RO-077125, POB-MG6, Magurele-Bucharest, Romania, ramona@tandem.nipne.ro, daranghe@nipne.ro (Romania)

Sodium alginate is a linear polymer extract from brown algae and it is used in the biomedical, food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries as solution property modifiers and gelling agents. But despite the extensive studies of the alginate gelation process, still some fundamental questions remain unresolved. The fractal behavior of very low viscosity sodium alginate solutions and their influence on the critical gelation of alginate induced by Ca{sup 2+} ions were investigated using Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) measurements. SANS data are interpreted using both standard linear plots and the Beaucage model. The scattering intensity is dependent by alginate concentration and Ca{sup 2+} concentration. From a critical concentration of 1.0 % w/w our polymer swelled forming spherical structures with rough surfaces. Also the addition of the salt induces the collapse and the appearance of the aggregation and clusters formation.

OSTI ID:
22591015
Journal Information:
AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1722, Issue 1; Conference: BPU-9: 9. international physics conference of the Balkan Physical Union, Istanbul (Turkey), 24-27 Aug 2015; Other Information: (c) 2016 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English