FUNCTIONALIZATION OF CHITOSAN; CHITOSAN-CELLULOSE BLENDS

The dissolution of chitosan in ionic liquids wassuccessfully accomplished. Benzoylation andphthalation of chitosan in homogeneous conditions wasalso achieved.By modifying the chitosan withdifferent reagents, new desired chemical and physicalproperties can be induced which will enlarge thefield of the potential applications. Blends of chitosan and cellulose were successfullyprepared using BMIMAc as a common solvent.Therheological measurements of the polymeric solutionsindicated the formation of a complex between chitosad cellulose molecules. Films prepared from thepolymeric solutions were investigated by means ofFT-IR, TGA, X-ray diffraction and SEM measurements.The interest in obtaining films from blends ofchitosan and cellulose is owed to skin tissueregeneration and accelerate healing of wounds effectcreated by the presence of chitosan that hasdistinctive biomedical properties when used aswound-dressing materials.