1. Partially deacetylated nanochitin and TEMPO-oxidized nanochitin that had positive and negative charges, respectively, could be transformed into hydrogels under "gas phase coagulation". 2. Viscoelastic and strong nanochitin hydrogels could be formed by ice templating upon freezing and thawing with simultaneous cross-linking. 3. Lyophilization was effective in producing cryogels with a density that could be tailored in a wide range of values, from 0.89 to 10.83 mg•cm-3, and corresponding porosity, between 99.24 and 99.94%. 4. A fast shape recovery was registered from compressive stress-strain hysteresis loops. After over 80% compressive strain, the cryogels recovered fast and completely upon load release. The extreme values in these and other physical properties had not been achieved before for neither nanochitin nor nanocellulosic cryogels.
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