Abstract
Alginate spheres complexed with various divalent cations and various counterions associated with calcium were characterized mechanically and optically. Zinc exhibited the most intense absorbance increase from the visible to ultraviolet wavelength range, a desirable characteristic for use in sunscreens. Among the calcium salts, only chloride and lactate exhibited the same behavior, although with a lower intensity. The values of the Young’s moduli of alginate spheres produced with zinc and lead were similar to the highest values that have been reported thus far, for cadmium and copper. Spheres produced with calcium gluconate were also among the stiffest. The mass of the beads decreased when they reacted with most of the saline solutions used, except in the case of calcium chloride and calcium lactate. Cations having high atomic numbers produced stiffer alginate spheres, due to the interaction mechanisms involved in polysaccharide reticulation. The present analyses are important for the development of new products and processes for the pharmaceutical, food, environmental, and biotechnological industries.
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Data availability
The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available in the Open Science Framework repository: https://osf.io/8urzp/?view_only=77780d98cc87429190adfc84bfd8f06d.
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This study was funded by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, grant number 405965/2016-8) and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, grant number 1528491, Finance code – 001).
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All authors contributed to the conception and design of the study. Material preparation and data collection were conducted by Fernando Villaverde Cendon and Bárbara Busnardo Salomão. Fernando Villaverde Cendon analyzed the data and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Regina Maria Matos Jorge and Alvaro Luiz Mathias reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors read and commented on previous versions of the manuscript, and approved the final version.
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Cendon, F.V., Salomão, B.B., Jorge, R.M.M. et al. Mechanical and optical evaluation of alginate hydrospheres produced with different cross-linking salts for industrial application. Colloid Polym Sci 299, 693–703 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-020-04787-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-020-04787-1