PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CHITOSAN/CELLULOSE BLEND FILMS USING ZnCl2•3H2O AS A SOLVENT

Chitosan (CS)/cellulose (BC) blend films were successfully prepared using ZnCl2 center dot 3H(2)O as a solvent. Homogeneous structures without obvious phase separation between CS and BC for all blend films were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. The tensile strengths of CS/BC blend films decreased with the increase of chitosan content. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that the crystal structures of BC and CS were disrupted during the processes of dissolving and regeneration. Also, the reformation of hydrogen bonds between CS and BC during dissolution and regeneration processes resulted in the shift of diffraction peaks. Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) analysis results confirmed this observation. Moreover, obvious antimicrobial capability of CS/BC blend films against E. coli has been observed, indicating that antibacterial activity of chitosan has not been significantly inactivated while using ZnCl2 center dot 3H(2)O as a solvent. Therefore, ZnCl2 center dot 3H(2)O can be regarded as a promising solvent to prepare degradable films with antibacterial properties.