Surface and aggregate properties of an amphiphilic derivative of carboxymethylchitosan Original Research Article

A new kind of amphiphilic derivative of carboxymethylchitosan, a group of (2-hydroxyl-3-butoxyl)propylcarboxymethylchitosans (HBP-CMCHS), has been synthesized, and the surface and aggregate properties have been studied by means of surface tension, surface pressure and fluorescence measurements. HBP-CMCHS can adsorb on the surface to decrease the surface tension of the solution. The adsorption film was quite stable, which can make the relative compressed pressure increase dramatically with the decrease of the surface area. In solution, hydrophobic aggregations were identified by the decrease in the ratio of the fluorescence emission intensity of the first and third pyrene vibronic peaks (I1/I3). Results showed that the aggregation began to form at a concentration similar to that of the polymer transfer to the air–water interface. Aggregate formation of the polymers is a gradually compact process with hydrophobic associations. Increase of DS and addition of NaCl to the HBP-CMCHS solution can make the surface tension decrease, make the aggregation occur at lower concentration, and make the aggregation more hydrophobic.