Preparation and characterization of chitosan composite membranes crosslinked by carboxyl-capped poly(ethylene glycol)

In this study a series of chemically crosslinked chitosan/poly(ethylene glycol) (CS/PEG) composite membranes were prepared with PEG as a crosslinking reagent other than an additional blend. First, carboxyl-capped poly(ethylene glycol) (HOOC-PEG-COOH) was synthesized. Dense CS/PEG composite membranes were then prepared by casting/evaporation of CS and HOOC-PEG-COOH mixture in acetic acid solution. Chitosan was chemically crosslinked due to the amidation between the carboxyl in HOOC-PEG-COOH and the amino in chitosan under heating, as confirmed by FTIR analysis. The hydrophilicity, water-resistance and mechanical properties of pure and crosslinked chitosan membranes were characterized, respectively. The results of water contact angle and water absorption showed that the hydrophilicity of chitosan membranes could be significantly improved, while no significant difference of weight loss between pure chitosan membranes and crosslinked ones was detected, indicating that composite membranes with amidation crosslinking possess excellent water resistanance ability. Moreover, the tensile strength of chitosan membranes could be significantly enhanced with the addition of certain amount of HOOC-PEG-COOH crosslinker, while the elongation at break didn’t degrade at the same time. Additionally, the results of swelling behaviors in water at different pH suggested that the composite membranes were pH sensitive.