Alginate is natural polysaccharide extracted from brown seaweeds, widely used for hydrogel preparation due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non-toxicity. Alginate hydrogel crosslinked with Cu$^{2+}$ ions exhibits a broad spectrum of potential applications, particularly in pharmacy and (bio)medicine, as copper demonstrates antimicrobial properties. In the framework of this master’s thesis, we developed and optimized the synthesis of Cu-Alg hydrogels by electrodeposition on copper electrodes. The process was optimized with respect to electrodeposition time and current density. We found that the concentration of coordinatively bound copper in the hydrogels increases with longer electrodeposition times as well as with higher current density. Furthermore, key structural and mechanical properties of the hydrogels were determined, including the degree of crosslinking, mesh size and crosslinking density. The prepared Cu-alginate hydrogels were further applied as heterogeneous catalysts for a model cycloaddition reaction. The click chemistry reaction was successfully transferred from the batch system to a microfluidic flow system, where high reactant conversion was achieved. This study demonstrates that Cu-Alg hydrogel, due to its structural and functional properties, is a promising for various technological and (bio)medical applications.
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