The present invention provides alginic acid derivatives represented by formula (I) and formula (II), and a novel crosslinked alginic acid obtained by carrying out a Huisgen reaction using an alginic acid derivative of formula (I) and an alginic acid derivative of formula (II). There are thereby provided novel alginic acid derivatives and a novel crosslinked alginic acid.

##STR00001##

The present invention relates to a biocompatible nanoparticle and a use thereof and, more specifically, to a biocompatible nanoparticle formed by irradiation an electron beam to an aqueous solution comprising at least one substance selected from the group consisting of a polysaccharide, a derivative thereof and a polyethylene glycol, thereby inducing inter-molecular cross-linking or intra-molecular cross-linking, and to a use of the biocompatible nanoparticle in a drug carrier, a contrast agent, a diagnostic agent or an intestinal adhesion prevention agent or for disease prevention and treatment.

A biocompatible membrane comprised of alginate and hyaluronate. The membrane may be used to prevent unwanted scarring after surgery. The tissue adherence and the rate of bioresorption of the membrane may be modified through an external stimulus comprising a sequestering agent and a viscosity modifier.

The invention relates to novel a high-volume swelling hydrogel which comprises a plurality of pores which are defined by an interpenetrating network, and/or a semi-interpenetrating network and/or simple cross-linked arrangement of a plurality of one or more species of hydrophilic polymers, optionally together with one or more biocompatible polymers and optionally together with one or more plasticising agents, characterised in that at least some of the pores are at least partially collapsed and/or flattened, and further characterised in that the interpenetrating network and/or semi-interpenetrating network and/or cross-linked arrangement which defines the collapsed and/or flattened pores is substantially unbroken. The invention also relates to a process for preparing such hydrogels, and to their use as an appetite suppressant.

The present invention relates to a preparation method of an edible and biodegradable environmental-friendly tableware, and the present invention provides a preparation method of a natural macromolecule-based edible and degradable tableware, where the principles of endogenous diffusion and polymer crosslinking to prepare an edible tableware such as a straw, a cup and a bowl from a microscopic state. The tableware material of the present invention may degrade rapidly under natural conditions and requires no composting. The tableware prepared by the method of the present invention has an excellent water stability performance. In terms of material acquisition, carrageenan, sodium alginate and other raw materials are widely available and stable, and may constitute a good substitute for grain starch, wood, etc., and the material cost is low.

The present disclosure provides a surface-modified alginate micro-capsule having a core-shell structure in which a core is fluidizable phase alginate, and a shell is alginate hydrogel crosslinked with epigallocatechin gallate dimer, a preparation method thereof, and a cell encapsulation method using the same.

Described herein are compositions and methods for preparing hydrogel capsules using a cross-linking solution comprising a process additive. The process additive improves the quality of the resulting hydrogel capsules, such as increasing the number of defect-free capsules.

A biocompatible membrane comprised of alginate and hyaluronate. The membrane may be used to prevent unwanted scarring after surgery. The tissue adherence and the rate of bioresorption of the membrane may be modified through an external stimulus comprising a sequestering agent and a viscosity modifier.

An aerogel carrying an active material, and a composite of a hydrogel and the aerogel are provided. The method for preparing the composite according to the present invention comprises the steps of preparing a plurality of aerogel particles having an active material in the pores, preparing a polymer solution in which a polymer is dissolved in a water-soluble solvent, preparing an aerogel/polymer dispersion by homogenizing after mixing the aerogel particles in the polymer solution, and preparing an aerogel/hydrogel composite carrier by mixing the dispersion with a crosslinking agent solution. According to the present invention, by producing a hydrogel composite in which a plurality of aerogel particles is distributed, a complex carrier in which oil and moisture can be carried simultaneously without any surfactant can be provided. Furthermore, a composite carrier having improved properties such as low density, high strength, high component content and stable desorption can be prepared.

A composite material comprising 65-99 wt % cellulose nanofibers and 0.5-30 wt % of an anionic gelling polysaccharide, as calculated by dry weight of the composite material, a method for preparing such composite material, and different applications and uses of the composite material.