Aloe vera hydrogel for supercooling applications: a review

Abstract

Aloe vera, a medicinal herb, is used in health care and cosmetics due to its biological activity. Its gel contains acemannan, which has high water content, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and customizable properties. Acemannan hydrogels can absorb and retain up to 99% of their weight, enabling supercooling and longer periods. There are literature reports on cellulose-based, chitosan-based, alginate-based, and starch-based hydrogels, but very limited studies on acemannan-based hydrogels, especially for supercooling applications. Hence, understanding AvP’s supercooling properties is crucial for developing reliable supercooling devices. The potential of hydrogels based on AvP for supercooling applications is examined in this review. The study reports on the idea of supercooling, how important it is in different fields, and how current techniques are limited. The review focuses on the characteristics, composition, and hydrogel formation process of AvP. It goes over AvP hydrogels’ capacity for supercooling, and the difficulties and potential paths for enhancing these hydrogels’ functionality and performance are also covered.