Miscibility of chitosan and poly(ethylene oxide) in dilute solution

Abstract

Miscibility of chitosan (CHI) with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) was studied in dilute solution by viscometry. Blends with CHI/PEO compositions of 0.1/0.9, 0.2/0.8, and 0.3/0.7 were studied at 25, 30, and 35 C, in a buffer solution of 0.1 M acetic acid/0.2 M sodium acetate. Starting with the classical Huggins equation, the results of the viscosity behavior of each parent polymer and their blends were interpreted in terms of miscibility parameters, Deltak, alpha, and Deltab. Miscibility between CHI and PEO was found to increase with weight fraction of PEO and polymer concentration. The existence of H-bonding interaction between CHI and PEO was demonstrated by FTIR spectroscopy.