Physical properties of chitosan films obtained after neutralization of polycation by slow drip method

Abstract

The development of new materials from biodegradable constituents is enticing for applications in bioelectronics and biomedicine, due to their considerable durability, versatility and biodegrada-bility. The present work aims to determine the chemical and physical properties of chitosan membranes after neutralization of the polycation solution. This work was divided into two stages: solubilization and neutralization. In the first stage, the chitosan was solubilized with three different concentrations of acetic acid (1%, 0.8% and 0.5%) in order to evaluate whether the acid affected the physical-chemical properties of the films. In the second stage, the chitosan polycation was neutralized with two strong bases (NaOH and KOH) using three different molar concentrations, by the slow drip method for obtaining films with pH values close to neutrality. The characterization of the membranes obtained from casting method showed that the different concentrations of acetic acid did not affect the physical-chemical properties of the films. In contrast, the neutralization process did affect their properties, and in particular, different behaviors were observed depending on the type of base used for neutralization. More ductile and plasticity were obtained in the films when the polycation was neutralized with KOH, whereas the films neutralized with NaOH exhibited a more fragile behavior.