Blend films from chitosan and konjac glucomannan solutions

Blend films were prepared by blending 7 wt % konjac glucomannan (KGM) aqueous solution with 2 wt % chitosan (CH) in acetate solution and dried at 40°C for 4 h to obtain the transparent films. Their structure and properties were studied by infrared (IR), wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential thermal analysis (DTA). Crystallinities of the blend films decreased with the increase of konjac glucomannan. The thermostability, tensile strength, and breaking elongation of the blend films in dry state were obviously higher than those of both konjac glucomannan and chitosan films. Tensile strength of the dry blend film achieved 73.0MPa when the weight ratio of chitosan to konjac glucomannan was 7:3. The structure analysis indicated that there is a strong interaction between konjac glucomannan and chitosan resulted from intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The water solubility of the blend films was improved by blending with konjac glucomannan, so they have promising applications to soluble antiseptic coating of pills. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 76: 509–515, 2000     

Preparation and characterization of alginate/Hydroxypropyl chitosan blend fibers

Hydroxypropyl chitosan (HPCS) was synthesized from chitosan and propylene oxide under alkali conditions. It was characterized by IR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). We prepared alginate/HPCS blend fibers by spinning their solution through a viscose-type spinneret into a coagulating bath containing aqueous CaCl₂ and ethanol. The structure and properties of the blend fibers were studied with the aid of IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and XRD. The results indicate a good miscibility between alginate and HPCS because of the strong interaction of the intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The mechanical properties and water-retention properties were also measured. The best values of the tensile strength and breaking elongation of the blend fibers were obtained when the HPCS content was 30 wt %. The water-retention values of the blend fibers increased as the amount of HPCS increased. Antibacterial fibers, obtained by the treatment of the fibers with an aqueous solution of silver nitrate, exhibited good antibacterial activity to Staphylococcus aureus. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Preparation and characterization of novel sodium alginate/chitosan two ply composite membranes

Sodium alginate/chitosan (SA/CS) two ply composite membranes were prepared by casting and solvent evaporation technique. NaHCO₃ was used as a porogen additive to form pores in the interior of the composite membranes and glycerol was introduced as a plasticizer. The water uptake capacity, mechanical strength, oxygen permeation property, and in vitro cytotoxicity were evaluated to test the feasibility to utilize the composite membranes for wound dressing. The average pore size, water uptake capacity, and oxygen permeation property of the composite membranes could be adjusted by the ratio of NaHCO₃ in the SA solution. The SA/CS two ply composite membranes showed high water uptake capacity, suitable mechanical strength, excellent oxygen permeability, and good biocompatible. It indicates that the SA/CS two ply composite membranes are suitable for wound dressing application. It provides a simple but promising platform to fabricate wound dressing using natural polymers. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Preparation and release behavior of carboxymethylated chitosan/alginate microspheres encapsulating bovine serum albumin

Microspheres were prepared from carboxymethylated chitosan (CM‐chitosan) and alginate by emulsion phase separation. Their structure and morphology were characterized with IR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was encapsulated in the microspheres to test the release behavior. The swelling behavior, encapsulation efficiency, and release behavior of BSA from the microspheres at different pHs and with a pH‐gradient condition were investigated. The BSA encapsulation efficiency was calculated to be 80%. The degree of swelling of the microspheres without BSA loaded at pH 7.2 was much higher than that at pH 1.0. The encapsulated BSA was quickly released in a Tris–HCl buffer (pH 7.2), whereas a small amount of BSA was released under acid conditions (pH 1.0) because of the strong electrostatic interaction between ? NH₂ groups of CM‐chitosan and ? COOH groups of alginic acid and a dense structure caused by a Ca²⁺ crosslinked bridge. For the simulation of the processing of the drug under the conditions of the intestine, the microspheres were tested in a pH‐gradient medium, in which an acceleration of the release occurred at pH 7.4 after a lag time at a low pH (5.8–6.8). At pH 7.4, a large amount of BSA was released from the microspheres in a short time because of the rapid swelling of the microspheres. However, the release only depended on the diffusion of BSA at relatively low pHs, this resulted in a relatively low release. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 878–882, 2004     

Blend films from konjac glucomannan and sodium alginate solutions and their preservative effect

In order to enhance the mechanical properties of konjac glucomannan film in the dry state and research the application of konjac glucomannan on food preservation domain, blend transparent film was prepared by blending 3 wt % sodium alginate aqueous solution with 4.5 wt % konjac glucomannan aqueous solution and dried at 40^oC for 4 h. The structure and properties of the blend films were studied by infrared, wide angle X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and differential thermal analysis. Crystallinities of blend films were increased with the increase of sodium alginate. The tensile strength and breaking elongation of the blend films in dry state were obviously higher than those of both sodium alginate and konjac glucomannan films. Tensile strength of the dry blend film achieved 77.8 MP_a when the retention of sodium alginate in the film was 27.9 wt %. The structure analysis indicated that there was a strong interaction between konjac glucomannan and sodium alginate, and this is resulted from the intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Moisture content and degree of water swelling of the blend films were increased due to the introduction of sodium alginate. Results from the film coating preservation experiment to litchi and honey peach showed that this blend film had water‐holding ability. The fruit weight loss rate and rot rate both decreased by various values. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 617–626, 2000     

Rheological study on O−carboxymethylated chitosan/cellulose polyblends from LiCl/N,N‐dimethylacetamide solution

An O?carboxymethylated chitosan (O? CMCh) water solution (I) and N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc) emulsion (II) were blended with a cellulose LiCl/DMAc solution, and corresponding polyblends (Polyblends I and II) were obtained. The rheology of the three fluids, that is, the cellulose solution and Polyblends I and II, was investigated. The cellulose solution was characterized by a power‐law fluid. When an O‐CMCh water solution or DMAc emulsion was added to the cellulose solution, the power‐law curve was preserved. The power‐law indexes (n) of all three fluids increased along with the temperature. Polyblend I displays an n close to but a little higher than that of the cellulose solution, while Polyblend II shows a much higher power index than those of the other two fluids. The values of the apparent viscosity (η_a) for all the three fluids are close and decrease along with an increase in the temperature. Adding O‐CMCh microparticles into Polyblends I and II results in a decrease in the structural viscosity index (Δη) in comparison to that of the cellulose solution, and this effect is very obvious for Polyblend I. A cellulose solution's Δη declines with the augmentation of temperature, while the Δη's of both Polyblends I and II show minimum values at about 323 K. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 1719–1725, 2003     

海藻酸钠/羧甲基壳聚糖纺丝溶液的流变性能

采用RT-2000毛细管流变仪,研究了海藻酸钠(SAL)/羧甲基壳聚糖(CMCS)纺丝溶液的流变性能。结果表明:SAL/CMCS纺丝溶液是切力变稀型流体,随着剪切速率(γ)的增加,纺丝溶液的表观粘度(η_a)下降;随着纺丝液中CMCS含量的增加,SAL/CMCS纺丝溶液的η_a和结构粘度指数(△η)下降,非牛顿指数(n)增大;随着纺丝液温度的升高,SAL/CMCS纺丝溶液的η_a和△η下降,n增大。纺丝过程中应控制SAL/CMCS纺丝溶液的温度为35℃,纺丝溶液中CMCS质量分数为15%较适宜。     

Cellulose/casein blend membranes from NaOH/urea solution

Cellulose membranes and cellulose/casein blend membranes were successfully prepared from a new solvent system (6 wt % NaOH/4 wt % urea aqueous solution) by coagulation with a sulfuric acid aqueous solution. The structures and properties of the membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), wide-angle X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and a tensile test. The experimental results showed that the suitable coagulation condition was 5 wt % H₂SO₄ for 5 min. When the casein content of the mixture was less than 15 wt %, the blend membranes were miscible because of the interactions between the hydroxyl groups of cellulose and the peptide bonds of casein. The blend membranes with 10 wt % casein had good miscibility, higher crystallinity, and the highest mechanical properties and thermal stability. In this case, the tensile strength and breaking elongation of the blend membranes were 109 MPa and 16%, respectively, and its pore size, obtained by SEM, was 290 nm, which suggests that the blend membranes provide a potential application for the field of separation technology. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 3260–3267, 2001     

Manufacture and properties of chitosan/N,O‐carboxymethylated chitosan/viscose rayon antibacterial fibers

Chitosan/N,O‐carboxymethylated chitosan/viscose rayon antibacterial fibers (CNVFs) were prepared by blending chitosan emulsion, N,O‐carboxymethylated chitosan (N,O‐CMC), and viscose rayon together for spinning. The fibers were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). TEM micrographs showed that chitosan microparticles dispersed uniformly along the oriented direction with the mean size ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 μm. DSC spectra of these fibers showed that no significant change in thermal property was caused by adding chitosan and N,O‐CMC into the viscose rayon. TGA spectra showed that the good moisture retentivity was not affected by the addition of chitosan and N,O‐CMC. Both DSC and TGA suggested that the decomposing tendency of the viscose rayon above 250°C seemed to be weakened by the chitosan. The fibers' mechanical properties and antibacterial activities against Escherchia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans were measured. Although the addition of chitosan slightly reduced the mechanical properties, the antibacterial fibers' properties were obtained and were found to meet commercial requirements. CNVF exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, and C. albicans. The antibacterial activity increased along with the chitosan concentration and was not greatly affected by 15 washings in water. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the morphology of bacteria cells incubated together with the antibacterial or reference fibers. SEM micrographs demonstrated that greater amounts of bacteria could be adsorbed by the antibacterial fiber than by the reference fiber; these bacteria were overwhelmingly destroyed and killed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 2049–2059, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10501     

The novel alginate/N‐succinyl‐chitosan antibacterial blend fibers

Alginate/ N‐Succinyl‐chitosan (SCS) blend fibers, prepared by spinning their mixture solution through a viscose‐type spinneret into a coagulating bath containing aqueous CaCl₂, were studied for structure and properties with the aid of infrared spectroscopy (IR) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD). The results indicated a good miscibility between alginate and SCS, because of the strong interaction from the intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The best values of the dry tensile strength and breaking elongation were obtained when SCS content was 30 wt %. The wet tensile strength decreased with the increase of SCS content, and the wet breaking elongation achieved maximum value when the SCS content was 30 wt %. Introduction of SCS in the blend fiber improved water‐retention properties of blend fiber compared to pure alginate fiber. Antibacterial fibers, obtained by treating the fibers with aqueous solution of silver nitrate, exhibited good antibacterial activity to Staphylococcus aureus. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

纤维素/海藻酸钠共混膜的制备及力学性能

将纤维素和海藻酸钠分别溶于氢氧化钠/尿素/硫脲体系,制得纤维素膜和纤维素/海藻酸钠共混膜,通过正交实验和单因素实验法分析,确定制备纤维素膜的最佳工艺条件,在此基础上研究了纤维素/海藻酸钠共混膜的制备工艺。结果表明:质量分数为4.5%的纤维素溶液所制得的膜在25℃的5%的硫酸溶液中凝固15 min,20%的甘油溶液中塑化30 min,其膜的拉伸强度较佳为5.2 MPa;纤维素/海藻酸钠共混膜的较佳工艺:质量分数分别为4.5%的纤维素溶液和3%的海藻酸钠溶液按质量比100/5共混后先浸入5%硫酸溶液中反应15 min,再放入10%氯化钙溶液中凝固10 min,用15%甘油溶液塑化15 min后,共混膜的拉伸强度达到3.50 MPa。     

Oxygen diffusivity in alginate/chitosan microcapsules

BACKGROUND: Oxygen diffusion properties affect the proliferation and metabolism of cells cultured in microcapsules with a polyelectrolyte complex membrane. The effective diffusion coefficient (De) of oxygen in alginate/chitosan (AC) microcapsules under different preparation conditions was calculated, and a mathematic model was developed to investigate the effect of oxygen diffusion on cell loading in the microcapsules. RESULTS: Oxygen De in AC microcapsules was independent of alginate solution concentration, intrinsic viscosity of alginate and different polyelectrolyte complex membranes. De decreased from 2.1 ± 0.3 × 10^?9 to 0.17 ± 0.01 × 10^?9 m² s^?1 as microcapsule diameter decreased from 1800 to 45 0 µm. Microcapsule density was increased from 1.013 ± 0.000 to 1.034 ± 0.003 g mL^?1 as diameter decreased from 1775 to 430 µm. The mathematic model results showed that critical CHO cell loadings were 1.8 × 10⁸ or 1.1 × 10⁸ cells mL^?1 in microcapsules with 450 or 1800 µm diameter, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: No significant difference was found of oxygen De between calcium alginate beads and AC microcapsules. The decrease of De with diameter was attributed to the increasing density and compact degree on the surface. The model results indicated that risk on necrosis rose with the increasing diameter. Microcapsules with smaller diameters may have more advantages on cell culture. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Morphology and properties of cellulose/chitin blends membranes from NaOH/thiourea aqueous solution

Blend membranes of chitin/cellulose from 12 : 50 to 12 : 250 were successfully prepared from cotton linters in 1.5M NaOH/0.65M thirourea solution system. Two coagulation systems were used to compare with each other, one coagulating by 5 wt % H₂SO₄ (system H), and the other by 5 wt % CaCl₂ and then 5 wt % H₂SO₄ (system C). The morphology, crystallinity, thermal stabilities, and mechanical properties of the blend membranes were investigated by electron scanning microscopy, atomic absorption spectrophotometer, infrared spectroscope, elemental analysis, X‐ray diffraction, different scanning calorimeter, and tensile tests. The cellulose/chitin blends exhibited a certain level of miscibility in the weight ratios tested. There were great differences between the two blends H coagulated with H₂SO₄ and C coagulated with CaCl₂ and H₂SO₄, respectively. The membranes H have a denser structure, higher thermal stability, tensile strength (σ_b), and crystallinity (χ_c), and values of σ_b (90 MPa for chitin/cellulose 12 : 150) were significantly superior to that of both chitin and regenerated cellulose membrane. However, the blend membranes C have much better breaking elongations (?) than that of membranes H, and relatively large pore size (2r_e = 210 μm), owing to the removal of a water‐soluble calcium complex of chitin as pore former from the membranes C. When the percentage content of chitin in the blends was from 5 to 7.5%, the values of breaking elongation for the blend membranes H and C all were higher than that of unblend membranes, respectively. The blends provide a promising way for application of chitin as a functional film or fiber in wet and dry states without derivates. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 2025–2032, 2002     

Blend fibers of polyacrylonitrile and water‐soluble chitosan derivative prepared from sodium thiocyanate solution

A water‐soluble chitosan derivative of N‐(2‐hydroxy)propyl‐3‐trimethylammonium chitosan chloride (HTCC), synthesized by the reaction of chitosan and glycidyltrimethyl ammonium chloride, and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) were blended using 46% (w/w) NaSCN aqueous solution as a common solvent. The total polymer concentration of blend solution was fixed at 12% (w/w), and the relative composition of PAN/HTCC in the blend solution varied from 0/100 to 80/20 by weight. The PAN/HTCC blend fibers with the appropriate physical property were prepared by a wet spinning and drawing process. The effect of HTCC content on the structural change, miscibility, and ability to be dyed of the blend fibers was investigated. The optical and scanning electron microscopic observation gave no indication of phase separation up to 20% HTCC content. Differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical measurements of the blend fibers show single glass transition temperatures that increase with increasing blend ratio of HTCC. All the experimental results exhibit that the blends are miscible on the molecular scale. The blend fibers could be dyed with an acid dye. This enhanced ability of the blend fibers to be dyed with acid dyes could be useful for one‐step dyeing when mixed with other fibers, such as wool and nylon. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 1620–1629, 2001     

Viscoelastic sol–gel state of the chitosan and alginate solution mixture

The rheological behavior of chitosan/alginate solutions was investigated in relation to gelation and polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) formation. Before mixing, the chitosan and the alginate solutions were both homogeneous fluids. However, heterogeneity developed after mixing, accompanied by a serious increase of viscosity. To determine the sol–gel state of the solutions, the viscoelastic variables, such as the dynamic storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″), the loss tangent, and the viscoelastic exponents for G′ and G″, were obtained. Depending on the concentration, the chitosan/alginate solutions revealed unexpected rheological behavior. At a polymer concentration of 1.0 wt %, the chitosan/alginate solution was in a viscoelastic gel state, whereas, at higher concentrations, viscoelastic sol properties were dominant. A viscoelastic gel state for the chitosan/alginate solution was induced based on the weak formation of fiber‐shaped precipitates of a PEC at a low polymer concentration. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 1408–1414, 2007     

Thermogravimetric characterization of chitosan/alginate microparticles loaded with different drugs

Summary  The thermal behavior of several chitosan/alginate /drug microparticle formulations containing ciprofloxacin, ibuprofen, ketoprofen or tannic acid was investigated by thermogravimetry in inert atmosphere in the temperature range of 25 – 900^oC. The chemical composition and the method used for drug incorporation influenced the thermal stability of the products. It was found that the entrapment of the drug in chitosan, alginate or chitosan/alginate complex modifies the degradation mechanism introducing new degradation steps by comparison with raw polymers. The activation energy for the main degradation step is also changed.     

Cellulose/chitin films blended in NaOH/urea aqueous solution

Regenerated cellulose/chitin blend films (RCCH) were satisfactorily prepared in 6 wt % NaOH/4 wt % urea aqueous solution by coagulating with 5 wt % CaCl₂ aqueous solution then treating with 1 wt % HCl. The structure, miscibility, and mechanical properties of the RCCH films were investigated by infrared, scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet spectroscopies, X‐ray diffraction, tensile test, and differential scanning analysis. The results indicated that the blends were miscible when the content of chitin was lower than 40 wt %. Moreover, the RCCH blend film achieved the maximum tensile strength in both dry and wet states of 89.1 and 43.7 MPa, respectively, indicating that the tensile strength and water resistivity of the RCCH film containing 10–20 wt % chitin was slightly higher than that of the RC film unblended with chitin. Structural analysis indicated that strong interaction occurred between cellulose and chitin molecules caused by intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Compared to the mechanical properties of chitin film, those of the blend films containing 10–50 wt % chitin were significantly improved. This work provided a novel way to obtain directly chitin material blended in the aqueous solution. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 1679–1683, 2002     

Blend membranes of chitosan and poly(vinyl alcohol) in pervaporation dehydration of isopropanol and tetrahydrofuran

Blend membranes of a natural polymer, chitosan, with a synthetic polymer, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), were prepared by solution casting and crosslinked with a urea formaldehyde/sulfuric acid (UFS) mixture. Chitosan was used as the base component in the blend system, whereas PVA concentration was varied from 20 to 60 wt %. Blend compatibility was studied by differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to study membrane crosslinking. Membranes were tested for pervaporation dehydration of isopropanol and tetrahydrofuran (THF) at 30°C in close proximity to their azeotropic compositions. Membrane performance was assessed by calculating flux and selectivity. Swelling experiments performed in water + organic mixtures at 30°C were used to explain the pervaporation results. The blend membrane containing 20 wt % PVA when tested for 5 and 10 wt % water–containing THF and isopropanol feeds exhibited selectivity of 4203 and 17,991, respectively. Flux increased with increasing concentration of water in the feed. Selectivity was highest for the 20 wt % PVA‐containing blend membrane. The results of this study are unique in the sense that the crosslinking agent used—the UFS mixture—was novel. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 1918–1926, 2007     

丝素/羧甲基壳聚糖共混膜的结构与性能

利用丝素(SF)与羧甲基壳聚糖(CMCS)共混制取不同比例的SF/CMCS共混膜。研究了CMCS诱导的丝素构象转变行为,测试了共混膜的吸湿性、透湿性和保水性。当CMCS的质量分数为5%时,共混膜中丝素的构象以β-折叠为主;当CMCS的质量分数为10%时,共混膜中丝素的构象由β-折叠向α-螺旋发生转变;当CMCS的质量分数达到15%时,共混膜中丝素的构象向无规卷曲发生转变。当CMCS质量分数小于15%时,共混膜中SF与CMCS具有良好的相容性,溶胀度较小,吸湿性随CMCS含量的增加而迅速降低。