Samuel M. Hudson

Structural characteristics and properties of the regenerated silk fibroin prepared from formic acid.

Structural characteristics and thermal and solution properties of the regenerated silk fibroin (SF) prepared from formic acid (FU) were compared with those of SF from water (AU). According to the turbidity and shear viscosity measurement, SF formic acid solution was stable and transparent, no molecular aggregations occurred. The sample FU exhibited the beta-sheet structure, while AU random coil conformation using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry. The effects of methanol treatment on samples were also examined. According to the measurement of crystallinity (XRD) and crystallinity index (FTIR), the concept of long/short-range ordered structure formation was proposed. Long-range ordered crystallites are predominantly formed for methanol treated SF film while SF film cast from formic acid favors the formation of short-range ordered structure. The relaxation temperatures of SF films measured by dynamic thermomechanical analysis supported the above mechanism due to the sensitivity of relaxation temperature on the short-range order.

Review of Chitosan and Its Derivatives as Antimicrobial Agents and Their Uses as Textile Chemicals

There is a greater demand for antimicrobial finishes on textile goods because consumers have become aware of the potential advantages of these materials. A number of other chemicals are also used i...

Antimicrobial wound dressing nanofiber mats from multicomponent (chitosan/silver-NPs/polyvinyl alcohol) systems

Novel hybrid nanomaterials have been developed for antimicrobial applications. Here we introduce a green route to produce antibacterial nanofiber mats loaded with silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs, 25 nm diameter) enveloped in chitosan after reduction with glucose. The nanofiber mats were obtained from colloidal dispersions of chitosan-based Ag-NPs blended with polyvinyl alcohol. Nanofibers (150 nm average diameter and narrow size distribution) were obtained by electrospinning and cross-linked with glutaraldhyde. The effect of crosslinking on the release of silver was studied by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Antimicrobial activity was studied by the viable cell-counting; mats loaded with silver and control samples (chitosan/PVA) with different degrees of cross-linking were compared for their effectiveness in reducing or halting the growth of aerobic bacteria. The results showed superior properties and synergistic antibacterial effects by combining chitosan with Ag-NPs.

Improved mechanical properties of chitosan fibers

A highly deacetylated chitosan from shrimp with a degree of deacetylation of 95 ± 3% was prepared and spun into a monofilament fiber using a solution of 5% by weight chitosan in 5% by volume aqueous acetic acid. Samples of the spun fibers were immersed in separate solutions containing phosphate ions and phthalate ions, and subsequently washed and dried. The various solutions ranged in pH from 4.12 to 7.75. The highest dry mechanical properties resulted from solutions containing phthalate ions between 4.5–5.5 pH, and from solutions containing phosphate ions at pH 5.4. Immersion time was varied between 1 and 60 min at 25.8°C, and temperature was varied between 25.8 and 70.0°C, in the phosphate ion solutions at a pH of 5.8. Dry mechanical properties were highest at 25.8°C and after 1 h of treatment. Chitosan films were subjected to similar treatments in phosphate and phthalate ion solutions. Fourier transform infrared data (FTIR) on the films suggest that some interaction is occurring between the phosphate ions and the amine group on the chitosan backbone. An additional experiment was performed whereby the same chitosan was used to prepare a dope of 4% by weight chitosan in 4% by volume aqueous acetic acid with 30% by volume methanol. This solution was spun into fibers, but was subjected to a “final draw” by increasing the speed of the winder. With increasing the final draw, denier and elongation-at-break decreased, while the other mechanical properties showed a marked increase.

Review of Chitin and Chitosan as Fiber and Film Formers

Abstract Chitin is one of the most abundant polysaccharides found in nature. It is often considered a cellulose derivative although it does not occur in organisms producing cellulose. Cellulose consists of β-(1→4)-D-glucopyranose units. In contrast, chitin has the same backbone but the 2-hydroxy has been replaced by an acetamide group, resulting in mainly β-(1→4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D- glucopyranose structural units (GLcNAc). Chitosan is the N-deacetylated derivative of chitin, though this N-deacetylation is almost never complete. A sharp nomenclature border has not been defined between chitin and chitosan based on the degree of N-acetylation [1, 2]. Structural examples of cellulose, chitin, and chitosan can be found in Fig. 1. The structural and chemical features will be elaborated on in a later section.

Crosslinking of chitosan fibers with dialdehydes: Proposal of a new reaction mechanism

A highly deacetylated chitosan from shrimp with a degree of deacetylation of 95.28 ± 3.03% was prepared and spun into a monofilament fiber using a solution of 4% (w/v) chitosan in 4% (v/v) aqueous acetic acid. Samples of the spun fibers were immersed in aqueous solutions containing glutaraldehyde and glyoxal, and subsequently washed and dried. When the concentration of crosslinking agent was varied at room temperature over a constant time of 1 h, dry mechanical properties improved up to a point after which increasing concentrations resulted in degradation. Immersion time was also varied between 1 and 60 min at 25.8°C, and temperature was varied between 25.8 and 70.0°C, at fixed concentrations of both glyoxal and glutaraldehyde. It was demonstrated that mechanical improvements might be rendered at higher temperatures over lesser times. However, it was also shown that at higher temperatures, fiber mechanical properties would begin to diminish. Chitosan films were subjected to similar treatments in aqueous crosslinking solutions. Fourier transform infrared data (FTIR) on the films suggest that some interaction is occurring between the glutaraldehyde or glyoxal and the amine group on the chitosan backbone.

The Solubility of Unmodified Cellulose: A Critique of the Literature

Abstract Petrochemical, shortages have stirred renewed interest in cellulose because it is the single replaceable raw material, and exists in great abundance. This literature survey reviews the cellulose solvent systems that do not in general rely on stable cellulose derivatives that can be isolated. This review is arranged in a manner suggested by Turbak [1] that classifies all cellulose solvents by the nature of their interaction with cellulose. An alternate classification, presented in Section VI, mainly for the benefit of the pragmatist, reappraises the various solvents in terms of aqueous or nonaqueous systems. When available, the minimum information on the properties of regenerated and coagulated cellulose is provided to further assist in assessing the overall potential of the many different systems capable of dissolving cellulose.

Hemostatic Agents Derived from Chitin and Chitosan

A recent review detailing the role of new hemostatic agents for battlefield hemorrhage control describes the interest in and necessary specifications for such materials. As a consequence, the Defense Department authorized the development and use of three deployable and FDA approved hemostatic agents: Zeolite “Quikclot” and chitosanic “Hemcon” and the American Red Cross Fibrin Dressing. Although chitosan has a number of advantages over the other hemostatic agents, it is the least understood of the three agents noted above. The use of chitosan and chitin in different physical forms as a hemostatic agent is described. The chemical properties of chitosan related to hemostatis possibly include: molecular weight, extent of ionization, counter ion, degree of deacetylation, and degree of crystallinity. Also, its ability to bind with tissues are a function of these parameters. Chitosan can be used in medical and surgical procedures by its direct application to a bleeding surface using the various physical forms such as powder, solution, coating, film, hydrogel, and filament composite.

Chitosan-coated poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofibers for wound dressings

A PVA nanofibrous matrix was prepared by electrospinning an aqueous 10 wt % PVA solution. The mean diameter of the PVA nanofibers electrospun from the PVA aqueous solution was 240 nm. The water resistance of the as-spun PVA nanofibrous matrix was improved by physically crosslinking the PVA nanofibers by heat treatment at 150 degrees C for 10 min, which were found to be the optimal heat treatment conditions determined from chemical and morphological considerations. In addition, the heat-treated PVA (H-PVA) nanofibrous matrix was coated with a chitosan solution to construct biomimetic nanofibrous wound dressings. The chitosan-coated PVA (C-PVA) nanofibrous matrix showed less hydrophilic and better tensile properties than the H-PVA nanofibrous matrix. The effect of the chitosan coating on open wound healing in a mouse was examined. The C-PVA and H-PVA nanofibrous matrices showed faster wound healing than the control. The histological examination and mechanical stability revealed the C-PVA nanofibrous matrix to be more effective as a wound-healing accelerator in the early stages of wound healing than the H-PVA nanofibrous matrix.

Crystal Morphology, Biosynthesis, and Physical Assembly of Cellulose, Chitin, and Chitosan

Abstract Cellulose and its chemical analogs chitin and chitosan are abundant and technologically important fibrous polysaccharides. Cellulose and chitin are, respectively, the first [1] and second [2] most abundant natural polysaccharides. Chitosan, though less prevalent in nature, is a useful and easily accessible derivative of chitin. All three polymers are biodegradable, renewable resources with versatile chemical and physical properties. As such, they are the subject of active scientific and commercial scrutiny.