Impact of Ionic Modifiers on Swelling and Microstructural Properties of Natural Gum-based Hydrogels: A Mechanistic Approach

Introduction:: This study investigated the swelling behavior and surface morphology of polysaccharide materials-based hydrogels, in which xanthan gum (XG) and gum tragacanth (GT) were used as gum materials. materials and methods: Xanthan gum (XG) and Gum tragacanth (GT) in powder form were procured from Sigma Aldrich. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and Ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) with molecular weights of 40 and 53.49 g/mol respectively and a purity of 98%, were purchased from Loba Chemie, India. These materials were characterized by swelling behavior, pH measurement and surface morphology. Method:: Xanthan gum (XG) and gum tragacanth (GT) in powder form were procured from Sigma Aldrich. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) with molecular weights of 40 and 53.49 g/mol, respectively, and a purity of 98% were purchased from Loba Chemie, India. These materials were characterized by swelling behavior, pH measurement, and surface morphology. Results:: The outcomes have been highlighted using predictive mechanistic swelling models. In contrast, maximum swelling was observed in deionized water at room temperature, with XG achieving a swelling ratio of 25.024% at 42.6 hours and GT reaching 4.775% at 184.2 hours. Discussion:: Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis provided detailed insight into the surface texture and porosity of the hydrogels, while energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) qualitatively confirmed the elemental composition and mass distribution. Conclusion:: The high swelling capacity and biocompatibility of the natural gum-based hydrogels make them applicable and potentially useful in various biomedical fields.