Abstract
Hydrogel matrices were designed as hybrid networks of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) with natural polymers,alginate or chitosan by UV irradiation. The networks were formulated in the single-stage procedure inwhich the alginate or chitosan were added to the crosslinking reaction solution of PEO, and two-stage procedure,with additional chemical crosslinking of alginate or chitosan. Double-layer hydrogels composed of PEOhydrogel core with entrapped cells and outer natural hydrogel layer were also synthesized. The hydrogels werecharacterized by gel fraction yield and degree of equilibrium swelling as well as by rheological measurements.The production of ethanol by immobilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used to test the suitability of the synthesizedhybrid hydrogels to serve as carriers for cell immobilization. The presence of cells affected the mechanicalproperties and the structure of the polymer networks. The best system for immobilization was found to bethe PEO/alginate/Ca, which exhibited high mechanical strength (G′, 830; GF, 93; ESH2O, 15) without affectingthe metabolic functions of the cells. The maximum ethanol yield was 0.42 g/g corresponding to 82 % of thetheoretical yield.
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