Issue 3, 2021

Chitosan-based smart hybrid materials: a physico-chemical perspective

Abstract

Chitosan is one of the most studied cationic polysaccharides. Due to its unique characteristics of being water soluble, biocompatible, biodegradable, and non-toxic, this macromolecule is highly attractive for a broad range of applications. In addition, its complex behavior and the number of ways it interacts with different components in a system result in an astonishing variety of chitosan-based materials. Herein, we present recent advances in the field of chitosan-based materials from a physico-chemical perspective, with focus on aqueous mixtures with oppositely charged colloids, chitosan-based thin films, and nanocomposite systems. In this review, we focus our attention on the physico-chemical properties of chitosan-based materials, including solubility, mechanical resistance, barrier properties, and thermal behaviour, and provide a link to the chemical peculiarities of chitosan, such as its intrinsic low solubility, high rigidity, large charge separation, and strong tendency to form intra- and inter-molecular hydrogen bonds.

Graphical abstract: Chitosan-based smart hybrid materials: a physico-chemical perspective

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
31 7 2020
Accepted
16 11 2020
First published
19 11 2020

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2021,9, 594-611

Chitosan-based smart hybrid materials: a physico-chemical perspective

G. Cavallaro, S. Micciulla, L. Chiappisi and G. Lazzara, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2021, 9, 594 DOI: 10.1039/D0TB01865A

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