Influence of Rheological Characteristics of Solutions of Mixtures of N-Succinyl Chitosan and Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium Salts on Some Properties of Materials Obtained from These Solutions

Abstract

Structuring in solutions of the individual polymers sodium N-succinyl chitosan and sodium carboxymethylcellulose and their mixtures has been experimentally evaluated. The possibility of controlling both the degree of enzymatic degradation and other properties of materials obtained on their basis is shown. In binary mixtures, supramolecular structures represented by homoaggregates of both polymers are likely to appear, which are characterized by an increased packing density and a slow rate of chemical and biochemical transformations. The mixing of N-succinyl chitosan and carboxymethylcellulose sodium salts in solution enhances aggregation processes. The type of aggregates (homo- or hetero-) is determined by the concentration of the polymers in the initial solution: homoaggregates are formed in dilute solutions of the mixture (with a concentration on the order of the entanglement-network formation concentration), and mixed heteroaggregates appear in more concentrated solutions. It has been established that the stress–strain characteristics, the degree of enzymatic hydrolysis increases, and the sorption capacity of film materials obtained from such mixtures are enhanced (compared to additive values) when heteroaggregates appear in a solution of polymer mixtures, whereas all these parameters have reduced values when homoaggregates are formed in solutions of polymer mixtures.