Preparation and characterization of hybrid chitosan/acrylic resin emulsions and their films

Solutions containing chitosan of different molecular weights and several acidic monomers were prepared under various aging conditions. Hybrid chitosan/acrylic resin emulsions were prepared from these solutions by emulsion polymerization. The viscosities of the hybrid chitosan/acrylic resin emulsions were influenced significantly by the molecular weight of chitosan, the acidic monomer used, and the aging conditions. DSC and FT-IR spectroscopy of the hybrid chitosan/acrylic resin films indicated that chitosan was well distributed in the films. The water absorption and formaldehyde adsorption abilities of the acrylic resin films prepared with chitosan were higher than the corresponding films prepared without chitosan, and they increased with increasing molecular weight of the chitosan. The morphology of these films, studied by TEM, revealed that the distribution of chitosan in the hybrid chitosan/acrylic resin emulsion was dependant on the molecular weight of chitosan, the acidic monomer used, and the aging conditions.