Alginate-based nanomaterials: Fabrication techniques, properties, and applications

Alginate is a biopolymer extensively utilized in numerous applications. Hydrogel forming property, chemical structure with hydroxyl and carboxylate moieties, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and solubility of alginate in water have broadened up research perspectives in material, and biomedical sciences. Study of alginate-based nanoparticles, nanoaggregates, and nanofibers initiated recently. These materials have gained increased attention for their potential industrial and biomedical applications. The present review broadly describes the synthesis, structural and physicochemical characteristics, recent advancements of processing and functionalization of alginate-based nanomaterials. The potential applications of alginate-based nanomaterials in numerous fields such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, environmental remediation, developing bioanalytical markers, disinfectants, and gene therapy are described. Existing limitations and solutions are underscored with future research scopes. The strategies employed in extracting alginates from algae, fabrication methods of alginate-based nanomaterial, and the commonly used analytical techniques of characterizing nanomaterials are discussed.