Synthesis and characterization of gelatin, and crosslinked gelatin aerogels

Abstract

This research aims to characterize newly synthesized pure high gelatin content aerogels and the crosslinked version of the gelatin aerogels with glutaraldehyde (GTA). The cross-linking process was achieved by the interaction of the gelatin gel with the crosslinker (GTA) and using a subsequent supercritical CO2 drying process. Three different aerogels with the following composition will be studied: 30 wt.% gelatin/water (RM01); 20 wt.% gelatin/water (RM04); and 20 wt.% gelatin/water crosslinked with 2.5 wt. % GTA (RM06). In this research, the focus is the characterization of newly synthesized advanced materials by conventional characterization techniques (SEM, N2-porosimetry, IR) as well as compressive strength tests. The SEM pictures illustrate the dense fibrils-like structure of the pure gelatin samples and the altered one of the GTA-gelatin crosslinked, impacting the strength of the two types of aerogels. Moreover, with increasing gelatin content we can observe a trend in increasing the mechanical properties which give these materials the ability to withstand high stress.