Alginate-Based Applications in Biotechnology with a Special Mention to Biosensors

Abstract

The exploitation of alginate and its composites as immobilisation support matrices in multiple applications remains a promising field that has the potential to create advanced functional materials from sustainable natural sources. They are non-toxic, allow sol-gel transformation, are biocompatible, have remarkable ion exchange properties, are biodegradable, and are amenable to chemical functionalisation. Alginate and its derived composites have numerous biotechnological and biomedical applications, including biomolecule or cell immobilisation, tissue engineering, drug delivery, wound dressing, and biosensors. Alginate can rapidly crosslink into a stable 3D water-insoluble network called hydrogel with polyvalent cations. Blending alginate with other materials to produce composite materials with improved or novel physicochemical properties remains an ongoing research endeavour. For instance, natural and synthetic polymers or nanoparticles have been incorporated into alginate-yielding composite material with enhanced physical strength, controlled porosity, improved interaction between the alginate support and the biomolecules, and the impartation of other features such as electrical and magnetic responsiveness, among others. Immobilisation strategies are discussed herein, including their innovations and future research perspectives.