Alginate Gels Prepared by Chemical and Physical Crosslinking. Reversable Sol–Gel Transitions Utilizing Redox Reactions of Disulfide Bonds

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We report the preparation of chemically crosslinked alginate gels (ChemAlg ss ) using cystamine as a disulfide‐containing crosslinker, along with dual crosslinked gels (DualAlg ss ) by further treating with CaCl 2 . Gelation occurred when cystamine was used at 5–80 mol%, wherein the highest crosslinking density was achieved at 40 mol%. Rheological studies revealed that the storage modulus of DualAlg ss was larger than that of ChemAlg ss , reflecting the enhanced formation of physical crosslinking. Moreover, ChemAlg ss exhibited reversible sol–gel transitions by the treatment with dithiothreitol ( c = 380 mM) and subsequent addition of 30 wt% of hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution. These findings demonstrate a simple strategy for designing redox‐responsive alginate hydrogels.