Electron Beam Crosslinking as a Strategy for the Synthesis of Pectin/PVA Aerogels: Effect of Concentration and Radiation Dose

Radiation techniques represent an innovative and alternative method for polymer gelation or crosslinking; their application in aerogel research has not been extensively investigated. The irradiation of polymer solutions, either with or without a crosslinking agent, may result in stable polymer gels with a highly developed mesoporous structure. In this study, the effect of the pectin polysaccharide concentration, the presence of PVA, and the dose of ionizing radiation (27–58 kGy) were systematically investigated, particularly with respect to the structural, textural, and mechanical properties. The pectin/PVA and PVA were crosslinked in aqueous solution via ionizing radiation using an electron beam. The results demonstrated that the radiation crosslinking of a hydrophilic synthetic polymer in the presence of natural polysaccharides, such as pectin, is an effective strategy for engineering porous materials with a controlled structure, namely aerogels, of good stability, and favorable functional properties. The resulting composite aerogels were characterized by a BET-determined specific surface area of 200–241 m2/g and an estimated porosity of over 91%, compared with values of 28–46 m2/g, 0.22 g/cm3 and approximately 81.5% for aerogels produced using the freeze–thaw method.