Dissolution and Chemical Modification of Chitin and Chitosan in Ionic Liquids

Abstract

Chitin and chitosan, as the biological macromolecular materials, are hardly soluble in many traditional solvents. This behavior limits their wide application and chemical modification. Therefore, it will be of great importance to research and develop the better solvent system. In this paper, the dissolution performance and dissolving mechanism of chitin or chitosan in ionic liquids are reviewed in the first place. Secondly, the chemical modifications of chitin or chitosan in ionic liquids (such as hydrolysis, acylation, graft copolymerization and so on) are summarized. Ionic liquid, as a kind of the recycled fine solvent, will provide a better media for the effective application and chemical modification of chitin or chitosan. Based on the ionic liquid solvent, the research and application of chitin or chitosan will be broaden.