Chitosan nanostructures deposited from solutions in carbonic acid on a model substrate as resolved by AFM

Abstract

Chitosan macromolecules can be dissolved in water saturated with CO2 under high pressure, i.e. in carbonic acid. This unique biocompatible solvent with acidity regulated by the variation of applied CO2 pressure is rather promising for biomedical applications. In this work the main features of deposition of chitosan structures on the model substrate from solutions in this media were examined. After deposition on the mica surface, the obtained structures have been successfully visualised by atomic force microscopy (AFM). It has been found out that they adsorb as rather peculiar elongated objects with an average length of about 70 nm. Such conformations are believed to appear due to amphiphilic nature of chitosan semiflexible chains in agreement with recent theoretical findings. The well-defined geometry of the elongated monodispersed structures allows them to demonstrate some elements of liquid crystalline-like ordering.