Preparation of Magnetite-Containing Composite Aerogels Based on the Alginate–Chitosan Complex

Abstract

Composite aerogels were prepared from sodium alginate–chitosan binary hydrogels by including magnetite followed by drying in supercritical carbon dioxide. An optimum concentration of magnetite to be introduced in the sodium alginate–chitosan system and conditions for supercritical drying of the composite hydrogels in carbon dioxide were selected experimentally to obtain aerogel with a highly developed porous structure. The resulting aerogels were studied by low-temperature nitrogen adsorption and shown to have a developed mesoporous structure with open cylindrical pores, the maximum specific surface area being 300 m²/g. The experimental study showed that the developed magnetite-containing composite aerogels possess high bactericidal activity against S. aureus, E. coli, and B. subtilis. Due to this, they are very promising for creating various medical products based on them, including wound dressings, active drug carriers, and hemostatic or sorption materials.