3D sponges of chemically functionalized chitosan for potential environmental pollution remediation: biosorbents for anionic dye adsorption and ‘antibiotic-free’ antibacterial activity

In this work, it was developed three-dimensional (3D) porous hydrogel sponges produced by the freeze-dried process using chitosan polymer functionalized by 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA). These chitosan-based sponges were used as cationic adsorbents for the removal of anionic methyl orange (MO) dye, simulating a model organic pollutant in aqueous medium. Moreover, these porous 3D constructs were also evaluated as ‘antibiotic-free’...