Generic Films and Fibers from Polysaccharides: Chitosan and Alginate

Abstract

Chitosan and alginate are both extracted from natural resources, and both are biocompatible, biodegradable, and hydrophilic. Thus, chitosan-alginate biopolymer mixtures have the potential to form new functional polymers towards better performance, which can be utilized in different applications. Chitosan-alginate polymer films and fibers were prepared. Possible interactions and the effects of each component were investigated. Miscibility, thermal stability, mechanical, and morphological properties of chitosan-alginate films were studied. We found that the film with ratio of 60:40 chitosan to alginate has the highest modulus and the highest tensile strength. The film with 80% chitosan content shows antibacterial activity. Furthermore, we developed a novel method to form wet-spun chitosan-alginate fibers with no additive and analyzed their mechanical and morphological properties. Roughness of the fibers increased with more chitosan content which reversely affected the tenacity.