Miscibility studies on chitosan/hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose blend in solution by viscosity, ultrasonic velocity, density, and refractive index methods

The miscibility studies of chitosan (CHI)/hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) blend in buffer solution (0.1M acetic acid + 0.2M sodium acetate) were carried out by viscosity, ultrasonic velocity, density, and refractive index methods at 30, 40, and 50°C, respectively. Using viscosity data, the interaction parameter μ and α were computed. These values revealed that the blend is miscible when the CHI content is more than 50% in the blend. The obtained results were further confirmed by ultrasonic velocity, density, and refractive index study. And also the result revealed that the change in temperature has no significant effect on the miscibility of CHI/HPMC polymer blends. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 2738–2742, 2006