AGAR / CHITOSAN BLENDS FOR THE PREPARATION OF NOVEL HYDROGELS FOR PH SENSING, UREA ADSORPTION AND DYE ADSORPTION

ABSTRACT

Hydrogel posses a degree of flexibility very similar to natural tissues, due to their significant water content. Thus they find potential biomedical applications owing to their excellent bio-compatibility, bio degradability and non toxicity. The main highlight of the work is that it is taking naturally occurring polymers such as agar and Chitosan for the synthesis of hydrogel. Different compositions of Chitosan/Agar hydrogels were formulated and optimised with respect to pH sensing, Urea absorption and dye adsorption. Chitosan/Agar hydrogels are found to be suitable and a potential candidate for several agricultural and bio medical applications