Abstract
Graft copolymers of chitosan with cellulose ether have been obtained by the solid-state reactive mixing of chitin, sodium hydroxide and hydroxyethyl cellulose under shear deformation in a pilot twin-screw extruder. The structure and composition of the products were determined by elemental analysis and IR spectroscopy. The physicochemical properties of aqueous solutions of copolymers were studied as a function of the composition, and were correlated to the mechanical characteristics of the resulting films to assess the performance of new copolymers as coating materials, non-woven fibrous materials or emulsifiers for interface stabilization during the microparticle fabrication process.
Highlights
The polysaccharide chitosan, consisting of glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine units, is a non-toxic biocompatible polymer with unique complexing properties and solubility in dilute aqueous organic and mineral acids
All co-extruded samples were subjected to fractional analysis by their sequential dissolution in water at neutral pH, an acidic aqueous solution and insoluble-in-aqueous media fragments, which could be attributed in the presence of chitosan macromolecules with a high content of remaining N-acetyl glucosamine units or cross-linked products of reactions between hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) and chitosan
The results demonstrate that the mechanical properties of the copolymer differ significantly from the homopolymer films, so even a small content of chitosan in copolymer differfilms significantly from the homopolymer films,insoboth even a small chitosan in copolymer (ChsHEC-1 sample) leads to an increase the tensilecontent strengthofand plasticity of the films films (ChsHEC-1 sample) leads to an increase in both the tensile strength and plasticity of the films from the HEC (24 vs. 13 MPa and 52 vs. 33%, respectively)
Summary
The polysaccharide chitosan, consisting of glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine units, is a non-toxic biocompatible polymer with unique complexing properties and solubility in dilute aqueous organic and mineral acids. The modification of the chitosan chemical structure to improve its solubility in neutral aqueous media can significantly expand the areas of its biomedical use, such as when working with pH-sensitive drugs like as those used in oncology. Following this purpose, a number of chitosan derivatives—or mixtures with additives made of synthetic polymers, including polyelectrolyte complexes—have been proposed to improve the physicochemical and mechanical properties of materials. The preparation of copolymers by conventional liquid-phase methods is associated with well-known disadvantages, such as multi-stage, long process time, the use of toxic catalysts and low yield
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