Synthesis and characterization of water-soluble chitosan grafted with hydrophilic aliphatic polyester.

Traditionally, hydrophobic aliphatic polyester has been employed to modify chitosan and organic soluble or swellable graft copolymers have been obtained. In this work, linear poly(butylene tartrate) (PBT) with hydrophilic pendant hydroxyl groups, which was synthesized by direct polycondensation of tartaric acid and butanediol under mild condition, was chosen to modify chitosan and synthesize PBT grafted chitosan (CS-g-PBT) with the mediation of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide in aqueous solution of an ionic liquid. The chain length of the grafted PBT could be facilely controlled by varying the molecular weight of PBT. The chemical structures of CS-g-PBT were systematically characterized by 1H NMR, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared and wide-angle X-ray diffraction. The thermal properties were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The water solubility of chitosan has been effectively improved after grafting with PBT and a water-soluble chitosan derivative has been synthesized. Meanwhile, the water solubility of grafts varies regularly with chain length of grafted PBT.

Modification of chitosan with monomethyl fumaric acid in an ionic liquid solution.

Antibacterial and antioxidant monomethyl fumaric acid (MFA) was selected to modify chitosan, using aqueous solution of an ionic liquid as a homogeneous and green reaction media. The chemical structures of resulting polymers were systematically characterized by (1)H NMR, diffusion ordered spectroscopy, solid (13)C NMR and wide-angle X-ray diffraction. The results show that two kinds of MFA modified chitosan materials with totally different chemical structures have been synthesized. One product was a MF-chitosan salt composed of chitosan cation and MFA anion, which was obtained with the mediation of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide. The other one synthesized with the mediation of EDC was a MF-chitosan amide in which MFA and chitosan are covalently attached. Solubility of chitosan has been improved, and MF-chitosan salt can be readily dissolved in water. The antioxidant activity has been enhanced with the introduction of MFA, irrespective of the chemical structure.

A novel and simple procedure to synthesize chitosan-graft-polycaprolactone in an ionic liquid.

An ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EMIMAc), was synthesized and employed as a homogeneous and green reaction media to prepare chitosan-graft-polycaprolactone (CS-g-PCL) via ring-opening polymerization, using stannous octoate (Sn(Oct)2) as a catalyst. The structures and compositions of copolymers could be facilely controlled by the reaction conditions and feed ratios. The grafting content of polycaprolactone (PCL) could reach as high as 630%. The chemical structures of the copolymers were systematically characterized by (1)H NMR, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), while thermal properties were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The thermal stability and glass transition temperature (Tg) of the graft copolymers vary regularly with the change of PCL grafting content.