Starch-Based Hydrogel Development Services

Starch-based hydrogels have attracted a lot of attention because of their biodegradability, biocompatibility, and non-toxicity. Currently, there is an increasing demand for them in the fields of agriculture, biomedicine, water recycling, and the food industry. Matexcel provides specialist services for producing starch-based hydrogels to facilitate their applications in various fields, including tissue engineering, drug delivery, wound therapy, and agriculture. Our experienced scientists can build customized hydrogel development solutions to meet our customers' different downstream application needs.

Introduction to Starch-Based Hydrogel

Starch-based hydrogels are a three-dimensional network of starches that can absorb large amounts of water. Compared to hydrogels prepared from synthetic polymers and petrochemicals, starch-based hydrogels have attracted considerable interest due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, and non-toxicity. Because of the relative simplicity and low cost of preparing and characterizing starch-based hydrogels, there is an increasing demand for them in the agricultural, biomedical, water recycling, and food industries. Generally, methods for preparing starch-based hydrogels include physical and chemical methods. Among these, the physical method of preparing starch hydrogels is a simple and environmentally friendly option, which is formed by the entanglement of straight-chain starch molecules and the swelling of starch granules without the addition of any chemical reagents. Common methods of preparing starch-based hydrogels using physical methods include starch retrogradation and extrusion. Chemical methods mainly include crosslinking, graft copolymerization, and the Schiff base reaction. The preparation process requires the addition of crosslinkers and initiators, which may cause environmental pollution. However, chemical methods are the most effective ways to prepare high-strength starch-based hydrogels. Different preparation methods have their own advantages and disadvantages, and we can choose different strategies for the preparation of starch-based hydrogels according to the specific downstream application needs of them.

Fig. 1 Mechanism of starch hydrogels prepared by starch retrogradation. (Cui C, et al., 2022)

Applications of Starch-Based Hydrogel

Starch-based hydrogels have many beneficial properties that make them attractive polymeric materials for a wide range of applications such as the biomedical field, tissue engineering, agricultural field, food industry, personal hygiene, and environmental protection.

Fig. 2 Potential applications of starch-based hydrogels.

Our Services

Matexcel leverages our multidisciplinary capabilities and specialist hydrogel preparation knowledge to support the widespread application of starch-based hydrogel in a variety of industries. Our customized starch-based hydrogel development services include but are not limited to the following:

• Hydrogel formulation design services: We customize starch-based hydrogels designs based on our customers' needs by varying hydrogel composition, cross-linking methods, configuration dimensions, permeability, aqueous liquid swelling, diffusivity, and degradability to precisely meet customer requirements for a variety of exciting and high-growth applications.
• Hydrogel modification services: Depending on the physicochemical properties of the starch-based hydrogels, we select appropriate methods such as chemical grafting and physical blending to modify and optimize the original properties of the hydrogel to give it new excellent properties, such as excellent biocompatibility, degradability, easily adjustable physicochemical properties and structure.
• Hydrogel analysis and characterization services: We provide a full range of analysis and characterization services in the development of starch-based hydrogels, as well as efficacy testing services for starch-based hydrogel samples.

Process of Our Service

Want to Learn More?

Matexcel is committed to helping our customers overcome all difficulties in the hydrogel research and development process. If you are interested in our services, please fill out the online inquiry form and tell us more about your project.

References

1. Cui, C.; et al. Recent advances in the preparation, characterization, and food application of starch-based hydrogels. Carbohydr Polym. 2022, 291:119624.
2. Qamruzzaman, M.; et al. An overview on starch-based sustainable hydrogels: potential applications and aspects. J Polym Environ. 2022, 30:19-50.