Open Access

ARTICLE

Beetosan-Based Hydrogels Modified with Natural Substances

by

1 Department of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers, Cracow University of Technology, Warszawska 24, 31-155 Cracow, Poland
2 Institute of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology, Cracow University of Technology, Warszawska 24, 31-155 Cracow, Poland

* Corresponding author:

Journal of Renewable Materials 2017, 5(3-4), 174-179. https://doi.org/10.7569/JRM.2017.634107

Abstract

In this study a series of hydrogels based on Beetosan® and containing natural substances, such as bee pollen and sage (Salvia officinalis), have been prepared. Beetosan is a type of chitosan that is obtained from the external skeletons of naturally occurring dead honeybees. In multistage chemical treatment, dead insect waste is converted into chitosan that is used in research as a hydrogel matrix. Prepared materials were synthesized using photopolymerization. Studies on the obtained hydrogels included determining their swelling ability and behavior in a simulated body fluid environment, as well as determining their chemical structure by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Based on the research it can be stated that all synthesized modified hydrogels are characterized by swelling ability and do not tend to degrade after immersing in solutions with a composition similar to body fluids.

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