Applications of Alginates

The usage of Alginates are based on following three main properties:

1. Ability to thicken the solution

When dissolved in water, alginate could thicken the resulting solution, which is more technically described as the ability to increase the viscosity of aqueous solutions.

2. Ability to form gels

Gels form when calcium salt is added into a solution of sodium alginate in water.

3. Ability to form films and fibres

Alginate could be used to form films and fibres. This ability makes alginate widely used in wound dressing.

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