Chemically modified natural polysaccharides to form gels

Abstract

Polysaccharides have been utilized for a wide variety of industrial, cosmetic, food, and medical applications. The presence of functional groups on polysaccharides has been exploited for chemical modification to prepare polymers with unique properties. Various polysaccharides form hydrogels through physical or chemical cross-linking, and many of them possess environmentally responsive properties, known as smart hydrogels. Polysaccharide-based smart hydrogels are ideal for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications due to their inherent biocompatibility, degradability, and environment sensitivity, such as pH, temperature, and specific biomolecules.