Chitosan Biocomposite Research Articles

Cure, Mechanical, Swelling, Antimicrobial and Biodegradability Studies of Biocomposites of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Rubber and Chitosan

Cure, Mechanical, Swelling, Antimicrobial and Biodegradability Studies of Biocomposites of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Rubber and Chitosan

Tannic acid modified keratin/sodium alginate/carboxymethyl chitosan biocomposite hydrogels with good mechanical properties and swelling behavior

Natural polymer-based hydrogels have demonstrated great potential as wound-healing dressings. They help to maintain a moist wound environment as well as promote faster healing. In this work, a multifunctional hydrogel was prepared using keratin, sodium alginate, and carboxymethyl chitosan with tannic acid modification. Micro-morphology of hydrogels has been performed by scanning electron microscopy. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy reveals the presence of hydrogen bonding. The mechanical properties of the hydrogels were examined using a universal testing machine. Furthermore, we investigated several properties of the modified hydrogel. These properties include swelling rate, water retention, anti-freezing properties, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, hemocompatibility evaluation and cell viability test in vitro. The modified hydrogel has a three-dimensional microporous structure, the swelling rate was 1541.7%, the elastic modulus was 589.74 kPa, the toughness was 211.74 kJ/m3, and the elongation at break was 75.39%, which was similar to the human skin modulus. The modified hydrogel also showed inhibition of S. aureus and E. coli, as well as a DPPH scavenging rate of 95%. In addition, the modified hydrogels have good biological characteristics. Based on these findings, the K/SA/CCS hydrogel holds promise for applications in biomedical engineering.

Water Absorptivity and Porosity Investigation of Nano Bio-silica, Hemp, and Bamboo Fibre-reinforced Chitosan Bio-composite Material

Water Absorptivity and Porosity Investigation of Nano Bio-silica, Hemp, and Bamboo Fibre-reinforced Chitosan Bio-composite Material

Fabrication and Testing of Nano Bio-silica, Hemp, and Bamboo Fibre-Reinforced Chitosan Bio-composite Material

Fabrication and Testing of Nano Bio-silica, Hemp, and Bamboo Fibre-Reinforced Chitosan Bio-composite Material

Investigation of Water Absorption and Porosity of Nano-Biosilica, Jute, and Bamboo Fiber-Reinforced Chitosan Biocomposite Materials

Investigation of Water Absorption and Porosity of Nano-Biosilica, Jute, and Bamboo Fiber-Reinforced Chitosan Biocomposite Materials

Chitosan-Based Films Blended with Tannic Acid and Moringa Oleifera for Application in Food Packaging: The Preservation of Strawberries (Fragaria ananassa).

Biobased plastics provide a sustainable alternative to conventional food packaging materials, thereby reducing the environmental impact. The present study investigated the effectiveness of chitosan with varying levels of Moringa oleifera seed powder (MOSP) and tannic acid (TA). Chitosan (CS) biocomposite films with tannic acid acted as a cross-linker, and Moringa oleifera seed powder served as reinforcement. To enhance food packaging and film performance, Moringa oleifera seed powder was introduced at various loadings of 1.0, 3.0, 5.0, and 10.0 wt.%. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy analyses were performed to study the structure and morphology of the CS/TA/MOSP films. The scanning electron microscopy results confirmed that chitosan/TA with 10.0 wt.% of MOSP produced a lightly miscible droplet/matrix structure. Furthermore, mechanical properties, swelling, water solubility, optical barrier, and water contact angle properties of the film were also calculated. With increasing Moringa oleifera seed powder contents, the biocomposite films' antimicrobial and antifungal activity increased at the 10.0 wt.% MOSP level; all of the observed bacteria [Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Escherichia coli (E. coli), Aspergillus niger (A. niger), and Candida albicans (C. albicans)] had a notably increased percentage of growth. The film, with 10.0 wt.% MOSP content, effectively preserves strawberries' freshness, making it an ideal food packaging material.

Evaluation of a granular Cu-modified chitosan biocomposite for sustainable sulfate removal from aqueous media: A batch and fixed-bed column study

Adsorption-based treatment of sulfate contaminated water sources present challenges due to its favourable hydration characteristics. Herein, a copper-modified granular chitosan-based biocomposite (CHP-Cu) was prepared and characterized for its sulfate adsorption properties at neutral pH via batch equilibrium and fixed-bed column studies. The CHP-Cu adsorbent was characterized by complementary methods: spectroscopy (IR, Raman, X-ray photoelectron), thermal gravimetry analysis (TGA) and pH-based surface charge analysis. Sulfate adsorption at pH 7.2 with CHP-Cu follows the Sips isotherm model with a maximum adsorption capacity (407 mg/g) that exceeds most reported values of granular biosorbents at similar conditions. For the dynamic adsorption study, initial sulfate concentration, bed height, and flow rate were influential parameters governing sulfate adsorption. The Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models yield a sulfate adsorption capacity (146 mg/g) for the fixed bed system at optimized conditions. CHP-Cu was regenerated over 5 cycles (33 % to 31 %) with negligible Cu-leaching. The adsorbent also displays excellent sulfate uptake properties, regenerability, and sustainable adsorbent properties for effective point-of-use sulfate remediation in aqueous media near neutral pH (7.2). This sulfate remediation strategy is proposed for other oxyanion systems relevant to contaminated environmental surface and groundwater resources.

Chitosan Biocomposites with Variable Cross-Linking and Copper-Doping for Enhanced Phosphate Removal.

The fabrication of chitosan (CH) biocomposite beads with variable copper (Cu2+) ion doping was achieved with a glutaraldehyde cross-linker (CL) through three distinct methods: (1) formation of CH beads was followed by imbibition of Cu(II) ions (CH-b-Cu) without CL; (2) cross-linking of the CH beads, followed by imbibition of Cu(II) ions (CH-b-CL-Cu); and (3) cross-linking of pristine CH, followed by bead formation with Cu(II) imbibing onto the beads (CH-CL-b-Cu). The biocomposites (CH-b-Cu, CH-b-CL-Cu, and CH-CL-b-Cu) were characterized via spectroscopy (FTIR, 13C solid NMR, XPS), SEM, TGA, equilibrium solvent swelling methods, and phosphate adsorption isotherms. The results reveal variable cross-linking and Cu(II) doping of the CH beads, in accordance with the step-wise design strategy. CH-CL-b-Cu exhibited the greatest pillaring of chitosan fibrils with greater cross-linking, along with low Cu(II) loading, reduced solvent swelling, and attenuated uptake of phosphate dianions. Equilibrium and kinetic uptake results at pH 8.5 and 295 K reveal that the non-CL Cu-imbibed beads (CH-b-Cu) display the highest affinity for phosphate (Qm = 133 ± 45 mg/g), in agreement with the highest loading of Cu(II) and enhanced water swelling. Regeneration studies demonstrated the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of Cu-imbibed chitosan beads for controlled phosphate removal, whilst maintaining over 80% regenerability across several adsorption-desorption cycles. This study offers a facile synthetic approach for controlled Cu2+ ion doping onto chitosan-based beads, enabling tailored phosphate oxyanion uptake from aqueous media by employing a sustainable polysaccharide biocomposite adsorbent for water remediation by mitigation of eutrophication.

Effects and Analysis of Chytazone in the Process of Processing Paper from Natural polymeres

The paper obtained during the study was mainly obtained from wheat straw cellulose and Jerusalem artichoke cellulose, which contained chitosan of various concentrations. An increase in the mechanical properties of the obtained papers was observed in samples using the substance chitosan. A 1.0% chitosan was added to the paper, mainly based on various plant celluloses. It should be noted that the obtained paper products were used without bleaching due to the fact that it was recommended to use them for wrapping paper. The youngest results were observed in samples prepared from a composition of wheat straw and artichoke pulp. From the fiber morphology, it was observed that the sized paper fibers became stronger, denser and smoother. Keywords: chytazone, Natural polymers, fibers, cellulose. Biocomposites of chitosan (CS)/cellulose nanocrystals (CN) were prepared by using solution casting method. Influences of solution preparation method and CN content on the properties of composites were investigated. Mechanical stirring/ultrasonication or micro fluidization were used to disperse nanocrystals in the chitosan matrix. The prepared nanocomposites were characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, DSC, TGA, TMA and contact angle measurements.

Preparation and Characterization of Hydroxyapatite- Chitosan Biocomposites of Cissus quadrangularis Linn. for Bone Regeneration in Osteoporosis

Preparation and Characterization of Hydroxyapatite- Chitosan Biocomposites of Cissus quadrangularis Linn. for Bone Regeneration in Osteoporosis

Mechanical Properties of α-Chitin and Chitosan Biocomposite: A Molecular Dynamic Study

This study investigates the mechanical properties of α-chitin and chitosan biocomposites using molecular dynamics (MD) and stress–strain analyses under uniaxial tensile loading in an aqueous environment. Our models, validated against experimental data, show that α-chitin has a higher directional elastic modulus of 51.76 GPa in the x and 39.76 GPa in the y directions compared to its chitosan biocomposite, with 31.66 GPa and 26.00 GPa in the same directions, demonstrating distinct mechanical behaviors between α-chitin and the biocomposite. The greater mechanical stiffness of α-chitin can be attributed to its highly crystalline molecular structure, offering potential advantages for applications requiring load-bearing capabilities. These findings offer valuable insights for optimizing these materials for specialized applications.

Antibacterial Testing on Silver/Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles/Organoclay Reinforced Chitosan Biocomposites

Antibacterial Testing on Silver/Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles/Organoclay Reinforced Chitosan Biocomposites

In-vitro drug release and stability assessment of tailored levan–chitosan biocomposite hydrogel

In-vitro drug release and stability assessment of tailored levan–chitosan biocomposite hydrogel

Chitosan complexes with amino acids and whey peptides: Sensory and antioxidant properties

Chitosan reacts with amino acids and hydrolyzed whey proteins to produce biologically active complexes that can be used in functional foods. The research objective was to obtain chitosan biocomposites with peptides and amino acids with improved antioxidant and sensory properties. 
 The research featured biocomposites of chitosan and succinylated chitosan with whey peptides and amino acids. The methods of pH metry and spectrophotometry were employed to study the interaction parameters between polysaccharides and peptides, while colorimetry and spectrophotometry served to describe the amino acids content. The antiradical effect was determined by the method of fluorescence recovery. Pure compounds and their complexes underwent a sensory evaluation for bitterness. 
 Chitosan and succinylated chitosan formed complexes with whey peptides and such proteinogenic amino acids as arginine, valine, leucine, methionine, and tryptophan. The equimolar binding of tryptophan, leucine, and valine occurred in an aqueous chitosan solution (in terms of glucosamine). Methionine appeared to be the least effective in chitosan interaction, while arginine failed to complex both with chitosan and succinylated chitosan. Chitosan and succinylated chitosan biocomposites with peptides and leucine, methionine, and valine proved to be less bitter that the original substances. The samples with arginine maintained the same sensory properties. Chitosan complexes with tryptophan and peptides increased their antioxidant activity by 1.7 and 2.0 times, respectively, while their succinylated chitosan complexes demonstrated a 1.5 fold increase.
 Chitosan and succinylated chitosan biocomplexes with tryptophan and whey protein peptides had excellent antioxidant and sensory properties. However, chitosan proved more effective than succinylated chitosan, probably, because it was richer in protonated amino groups, which interacted with negatively charged amino acids groups.

Piezoelectric Biocomposites for Bone Grafting in Dentistry.

In this research, Hydroxyapatite-Potassium, Sodium Niobate-Chitosan (HA-KNN-CSL) biocomposites were synthesized, both as hydrogel and ultra-porous scaffolds, to offer two commonly used alternatives to biomaterials in dental clinical practice. The biocomposites were obtained by varying the content of low deacetylated chitosan as matrix phase, mesoporous hydroxyapatite nano-powder, and potassium-sodium niobate (K0.47Na0.53NbO3) sub-micron-sized powder. The resulting materials were characterized from physical, morpho-structural, and in vitro biological points of view. The porous scaffolds were obtained by freeze-drying the composite hydrogels and had a specific surface area of 18.4-24 m2/g and a strong ability to retain fluid. Chitosan degradation was studied for 7 and 28 days of immersion in simulated body fluid without enzymatic presence. All synthesized compositions proved to be biocompatible in contact with osteoblast-like MG-63 cells and showed antibacterial effects. The best antibacterial effect was shown by the 10HA-90KNN-CSL hydrogel composition against Staphylococcus aureus and the fungal strain Candida albicans, while a weaker effect was observed for the dry scaffold.

Integrated biorefinery of Mucor circinelloides biomass and sugarcane bagasse for application of high-value biopolymers

The replacement of expensive components in microbial growth media with pretreated lignocellulosic waste component to increase the product spectrum and add value to the bioproducts has been encouraged to achieve sustainable and feasible utilization of waste biomass as per the biorefinery approach. This study demonstrates an integrated biorefinery approach towards utilization of sugarcane bagasse and biomass of Mucor circinelloides ZSKP. A maximum reducing sugar recovery of 80.67 g/l was achieved after combining pretreatment with saccharification. A low temperature, glycerol, and ammonium phosphate pretreatment method was established, where glycerol pretreatment conditions were reduced from 250 to 150 °C and from 120 to 45 min. The ammonium phosphate-containing hydrolysate yielded 12.89 g/l of fungal biomass after fermentation to add to 20.8 g lignin from the delignification step. The biomass production was further improved to 17.69 g/l after supplementation with corn steep solids and mineral salts. The fermentation process also yielded 2.36 g/l chitosan and 4.9 g/l of lipids after extraction from the oleaginous fungus. The lignin infused glycerol plasticized chitosan biocomposite plastic had a 100% improvement in thermogravimetric properties with almost 50% more energy needed to increase the temperature of the material when compared to glycerol only plasticized biocomposite. The fungal chitosan showed antimicrobial properties and was effective as a preservative spray for fresh tomatoes and apples extending their shelf life to at least 14 and 18 days, respectively. This study therefore demonstrated that a novel two-step pretreatment process could be environmentally beneficial and yielded multiple products for biotechnological applications.

Hydrolysis, Biodegradation and Ion Sorption in Binary Biocomposites of Chitosan with Polyesters: Polylactide and Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate).

The film binary composites polylactide (PLA)-chitosan and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)-chitosan have been fabricated and their functional characteristics, such as hydrolysis resistance, biodegradation in soil, and ion sorption behavior have been explored. It was established that hydrolysis temperature and acidity of solutions are differently affected by the weight loss of these two systems. Thus, in the HCl aqueous solutions, the stability of the PHB-chitosan composites is higher than the stability of the PLA-chitosan one, while the opposite situation was observed for biodegradation in soil. The sorption capacity of both composites to Fe3+ ions was investigated and it was shown that, for PHB-chitosan composites, the sorption is higher than for PLA-chitosan. It was established that kinetics of sorption obeys the pseudo-first-order equation and limiting values of sorption correspond to Henry's Law formalism. By scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the comparative investigation of initial films and films containing sorbed ions was made and the change of films surface after Fe3+ sorption is demonstrated. The findings presented could open a new horizon in the implementation of novel functional biodegradable composites.

Preparation of pretreated sugarcane bagasse and chitosan bio-composite for the adsorption of phosphate from aqueous media

In this work, we report on the biosorbent bio-composite consisting of pretreated sugarcane bagasse, chitosan, and epichlorohydrin, which was prepared using the blending method for the adsorption of phosphate from aqueous media. The effect of solvent concentration was investigated, and it was observed that the high solvent concentration significantly enhanced the extraction of cellulose. Moreover, pretreatment enhances the compatibility between the extracted cellulose and chitosan. Furthermore, the addition of epichlorohydrin significantly enhanced the adsorption capacity as well as the stability of the synthesized biosorbent bio-composite. Fourier transform infrared, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis were used to characterize the prepared bio-composite. Batch studies were conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the bio-composite. The mechanism of adsorption between the biosorbent bio-composite and phosphate was through chemisorption as the data best fitted to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The isotherm study showed that the data best fitted to the Freundlich adsorption isotherm model, and the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model showed that the maximum adsorption capacity was 15.26 mg/g. The biosorbent was found to be pH dependent, selective, and recyclable.

Facile fabrication and characterization of an economical active packaging film based on corn starch–chitosan biocomposites incorporated with clove oil

Facile fabrication and characterization of an economical active packaging film based on corn starch–chitosan biocomposites incorporated with clove oil

Exploration of multifunctional properties of garlic skin derived cellulose nanocrystals and extracts incorporated chitosan biocomposite films for active packaging application

For many years, garlic has been used as a condiment in food and traditional medicine. However, the garlic skin, which accounts for 25% of the garlic bulk, is considered agricultural waste. In this study, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and garlic extract (GE) from garlic skin were isolated and used as fillers to manufacture biocomposite films. The films were characterized in terms of UV barrier, thermal, mechanical, biodegradability, and antimicrobial activity. The chitosan-containing films and CNCs have significantly improved the films' tensile strength, Young's modulus, and elongation but decreased the film transparency compared to chitosan films. The combination of the CNCs and GE, on the other hand, slightly reduced the mechanical properties. The addition of CNCs slightly decreased the film transparency, while the addition of GE significantly improved the UV barrier properties. Thermal studies revealed that the incorporation of CNC and GE had minimal effect on the thermal stability of the chitosan films. The degradability rate of the chitosan composite films was found to be higher than that of the neat chitosan films. The antimicrobial properties of films were studied against Escherichia coli, Streptomyces griseorubens, Streptomyces alboviridis, and Staphylococcus aureus, observing that their growth was considerably inhibited by the addition of GE in composite films. Films incorporating both CNCs and GE from garlic skin hold more promise for active food packaging applications due to a combination of enhanced physical characteristics and antibacterial activity.