This technology involves adding calcium chloride to an aqueous solution of carboxyl-containing polysaccharides, such as pectin or alginate, to induce ionic cross-linking. The resulting mixture is then introduced into isopropyl alcohol or 1-propanol to create and dry a porous gel. This method yields porous polysaccharides with a high specific surface area.
When creating porous structures via phase separation, a common issue is that solvents with lower boiling points than water evaporate first, causing the remaining water to condense the polysaccharide chains and collapse the pore structure. Avoiding this through freeze-drying or supercritical fluid processes typically requires expensive equipment and high energy consumption.
This technology stabilizes the polysaccharide framework through calcium ion cross-linking and hydrogen bonding with alcohol solvents, maintaining pores under 10–100 nm and a specific surface area of over 76 m2/g even during standard drying. It uses economical, eco-friendly solvents without high-energy processes. Applicable to nano-filter membranes, heavy metal adsorbents, cell culture scaffolds, drug delivery systems, and mask pack materials, it enables low-cost production of high-performance porous materials from biodegradable natural polymers.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for research on the manufacturing technology of water-dispersible nanowires for photocatalysts via the self-assembly of alkylbenzoic acid and polymer semiconductors.
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