Alginaation
Alginaation is a term used in polymer science to describe the processing, modification, and application of alginate polymers to create and tailor hydrogel networks. The concept covers gelation, cross-linking, degradation, and functionalization strategies that tailor mechanical, chemical, and biological properties of alginate-based materials.
Alginate is a natural anionic polysaccharide derived from brown seaweed, composed of blocks of mannuronic (M)
Applications include wound dressings, controlled drug delivery, and tissue engineering scaffolds, where material properties are matched
Research continues to standardize alginaation protocols, improve biocompatibility, and enable scalable manufacturing.
See also: alginate, hydrogel, biopolymer, tissue engineering.