Properties of Sodium Alginate Gum for the Fabrication of Composites

Polysaccharides derived from biopolymers such as alginate, chitosan, collagen, cellulose, starch, pectin, and lignin are identified as one of the most promising candidates in various applications such as food, medical, and engineering fields. They are widely used natural materials having advantages over synthetic ones as they are chemically inert, nontoxic, less expensive, biodegradable, and widely available. They can also be tailored to obtain materials suitable for specific application, thus enabling it to compete with the available synthetic adhesive. Despite its numerous benefits, sodium alginate is limited in its potential for outdoor applications due to its hydrophilic nature. In this research work, the physicochemical properties of sodium alginate (NaAg), biopolymer was studied. From the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and flow property results obtained, it can be concluded that NaAg is crystalline in nature exhibiting good flow properties. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) thermo grams were characterized for the same. Major thermal transitions were determined. Results depict that the viscosity of NaAg gum solution increased with increase in gum concentration. No tannin content and inorganic acidity were identified from the series of test conducted. The organic acidity not more than 0.36% acetic acid was found in the gum sample. In conclusion, the NaAg exhibited good physico-chemical properties making it to explore the viability of employing this natural biopolymer as adhesive during the fabrication of composites.