Microstructure and Mechanical Strength Properties of Chitosan Sponges Obtained from Polymer Solutions in Carbonic Acid

I S Chashchin,N A Arkharova,M S Rubina,M A Pigaleva

doi:10.1134/s0965545x21060018

Abstract

Polymer sponges based on chitosan are first obtained from chitosan solutions in carbonic acid and gels based on these solutions crosslinked by a noncytotoxic agent of natural origin, genipin. A comparative analysis of the structure and mechanical strength properties of sponges prepared from chitosan solutions in carbonic and acetic acids is carried out. It is shown that the addition of genipin in an amount of ~2 wt % to a chitosan solution in carbonic acid leads to a decrease in the average pore size by ~2.5 times and a significant increase in the strength characteristics of the material in comparison with the sponge prepared without genipin.

Highlights

Much attention of the scientific community is directed to materials obtained from renewable resources, in particular, from natural polymers and their derivatives, such as chitosan, collagen, and alginate
It was first shown that chitosan sponges with good mechanical strength properties can be obtained from polymer solutions in a biocompatible, self-neutralizing solvent, carbonic acid
The comparative study of the morphology and mechanical strength characteristics of the sponges obtained from carbonic acid solution and in the solvent traditional for chitosan, acetic acid, was carried out

Summary

Introduction

Much attention of the scientific community is directed to materials obtained from renewable resources, in particular, from natural polymers and their derivatives, such as chitosan, collagen, and alginate. This is especially true for materials used in biomedicine where it is necessary to maintain biocompatibility and antimicrobiality, for example, in porous scaffolds for tissue engineering or matrices with encapsulated active substances [1, 2]. The deacetylated chitin derivative, chitosan, is a polysaccharide widely used for the manufacture of biomedical materials, including TDL materials, in the form of porous sponges, microgranules, hydrogels, and films [4]. A polymer porous sponge made of chitosan is a convenient material for contact with the skin. It becomes extremely important to develop new methods for processing this polymer and to search for new media for its dissolution

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion