Ulvan as a new type of biomaterial from renewable resources: Functionalization and hydrogel preparation

Ulvan, a sulfated cell-wall polysaccharide extracted from green seaweeds, is functionalized by grafting methacryloyl moieties as a radical polymerizable group and photopolymerized under UV irradiation in order to attain biodegradable hydrogels. The functionalization reaction is carried out by using methacrylic anhydride or glycidyl methacrylate according to two basic procedures applied to polysaccharides. The functionalization of Ulvan is determined by FT-IR and (1)H NMR spectroscopy and confirmed by DSC analysis. Hydrogels were characterized by FT-IR and by (1)H NMR spectroscopies and their swelling behaviour assessed in terms of degree of swelling using PBS 1 x pH 7.4 as a medium in order to check their stability under physiological conditions.