Preparation of chitosan films plasticized by lauric and maleic acids

The energy crisis and environmental concerns have increased intere s t in natural polymers, and the bio-sourced materials field is experiencing rapid growth. A useful alternative to conventional pla s tic packaging manufactured from fossil fuels is packaging con s tructed of biodegradable polymers. Consideration has been given to the in s trumental methods for examining modifications to the chemical composition and characteri s tics of modified chitosan. The molecular weight and the kind of pla s ticizer present in these materials are the two primary variables influencing their usability and performance. This s tudy set out to physically blend chitosan with two different acids, lauric and maleic, to enhance chitosan ca s t films’ physical and mechanical properties. Different plasticizer ratios appeared to have little effect on the various properties of the chitosan ca s t films. Examining the obtained films by FTIR implies that chitosan’s native s tructure was unchanged. The films prepared had more flexibility and better solubility than those made with un-plasticized chitosan. It was evident from an analysis of the mechanical properties of the films that both acid pla s ticizers enhanced the mechanical properties of the chitosan.