Seaweed polysaccharide fibers: Solution properties, processing and applications

Seaweed polysaccharides with abundantly renewable sources and charming properties have attracted arising attention. Alginate, carrageenan and agar with the largest are the most predominant species of common seaweed polysaccharides. This review will first provide a comprehensive overview of general information on seaweed polysaccharides regarding solubility, multilevel structure, viscoelasticity, and gelation. Then we summarize preparation methods of seaweed polysaccharides fibers including wet-spinning technique, electrospinning technique and microfluidic spinning. The applications of seaweed polysaccharides fibers, based on many excellent inherent properties, including biocompatibility, suitable microstructure, nontoxicity, potential bioactivity, good intrinsic flame retardancy and thermal stability, are described in detail.