Physical Properties of Alginate−Starch Cellular Sponges

The structural and mechanical properties of alginate−starch gel after immersion in sucrose solution was determined. The concentration of the sucrose in the center of the specimen increased exponentially with time. This immersion generally resulted in decreased volume and weight of the wet gels, followed by an increase in relative density of the dried samples and a decrease in their porosity. The population of open and closed pores within the structure of the dried gels was determined, revealing the presence of closed pores, especially at the intermediate time after the beginning of diffusion and before its termination. Compression of the dry gels showed dependency of the strength and brittleness on sucrose diffusion time. Keywords: Diffusion; cellular solid; porosity; shrinkage