Carboxymethyl starch as a reducing and capping agent in the hydrothermal synthesis of selenium nanostructures for use with 3D-printed hydrogel carrier

The hydrothermal method is a cost-effective and eco-friendly route for
preparing various nanomaterials. It can utilize a capping agent, such as a
polysaccharide, to govern and define the nanoparticle morphology.
Elemental selenium nanostructures (spheres and rods) were synthesized and
stabilized using a tailor-made carboxymethyl starch (CMS, degree of
substitution = 0.3) under hydrothermal conditions. CMS is particularly
convenient because it acts simultaneously as the capping and reducing
agent, as verified by several analytical techniques, while the reaction
relies entirely on green solvents. Furthermore, the effect of sodium
selenite concentration, reaction time, and temperature on the nanoparticle
size, morphology, microstructure, and chemical composition was
investigated to identify the ideal synthesis conditions. A pilot
experiment demonstrated the feasibility of implementing the synthesized
nanoparticles into vat photopolymerization 3D-printed hydrogel carriers
based on 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). When submersed into the
water, the subsequent particle release was confirmed by dynamic light
scattering (DLS), promising great potential for use in bio-3D printing and
other biomedical applications.