Publications by authors named "Catalina Alvarez-Lopez"

Silk sericin (SS)-based hydrogels show promise for wound healing due to their biocompatibility, moisture regulation, and cell proliferation properties. However, there is still a need to develop green crosslinking methods to obtain non-toxic, absorbent, and mechanically strong SS hydrogels. This study investigated the effects of three green crosslinking methods, annealing treatment (T), exposure to an absolute ethanol vapor atmosphere (V.

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Hydrogel-type absorbent materials are currently a technological alternative for improving water retention in the soil and reducing nutrient loss by leaching and evaporation. This study aimed to evaluate the application of a new hydrogel based on silk sericin (SS) as a water retention material in soil. The morphology of the hydrogel was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and its impact on moisture retention in sandy loam soil (SLS) under different levels of matric pressure (MP) was evaluated.

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