Article
Chemistry, Applied
Zhe Cai, Li Chen, Xiaojie Yu, Abu ElGasim A. Yagoub, Clinton E. Okonkwo, Cunshan Zhou
Summary: This study evaluated the effect of chitosan molecular weight on zeinnisin-chitosan nanocomplexes and assessed the formation mechanism, physicochemical properties, and antibacterial activity. The results showed that the molecular weight of chitosan affected the structure of the nanocomplexes, and higher molecular weight chitosan formed a network to adsorb zein and nisin. The nanocomplexes exhibited strong antibacterial activity, with ZNC(0.3) showing high encapsulation efficiency and antibacterial properties.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Xiaoxia Yan, Zeyi Liu, Mengxue Diao, Tiehua Zhang
Summary: The properties of chitosan-Zn nanoparticles are influenced by the molecular weight of chitosan. When the molecular weight is 200 KDa, the chitosan-Zn nanoparticles have a higher content of zinc and a more stable system. Higher molecular weight chitosan results in larger particle size and zeta potential.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Manya Wang, Chen Yang, Hongbing Deng, Yumin Du, Ling Xiao, Xiaowen Shi
Summary: In this study, an electrical field was used to visualize the anisotropic assembly of chitosan in real time. The results showed that the electrical signal had a profound influence on the anisotropic assembly process of chitosan. Chitosan hydrogels with larger molecular weight exhibited a highly oriented and dense structure. This work provides new insights for predicting and controlling the formation of anisotropic chitosan hydrogels with different molecular weights.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Teck Lip Dexter Tam, Ming Lin, Sheau Wei Chien, Jianwei Xu
Summary: The synthesis of a new solubilizing group-free, solution-processable ladder conjugated polymer PBBTL was reported, with its thin film properties and thermoelectric performance evaluated. Despite modest initial results, there are opportunities for further development and exploration in this field.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Linhua Zhang, Chengcheng Gao, Zhenjiong Wang, Fengwei Xie, Ying Chen, Linghan Meng, Xiaozhi Tang
Summary: This study prepared biomimetic materials based on chitosan and silk peptides using thermomechanical processing and investigated the effect of chitosan molecular weight on the structure and properties of the composites. The results showed that chitosan molecular weight significantly influenced the structure and properties of the composites, and a certain molecular weight of chitosan achieved excellent strength and toughness, which could be further enhanced by rehydration after drying. Therefore, this research provides a reference for processing natural polymeric materials using hot-melt methods.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Wanli Zhang, Jiankang Cao, Weibo Jiang
Summary: This study analyzed the film-forming properties and adhesion properties of chitosan films with different molecular weights on fruit surfaces. Higher molecular weight chitosan films showed improved water resistance, water vapor barrier properties, and mechanical properties. The adhesion work of chitosan films with different molecular weights on fruit surfaces was similar, but the 100 and 200 kDa chitosan films had higher adhesion work.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hexiang Xie, Kefan Ouyang, Liqiong Zhang, Juwu Hu, Shengfang Huang, Weiwei Sun, Hua Xiong, Qiang Zhao
Summary: This study investigated the effect of different molecular weights of chitosan on the performance of composite films, revealing that lower molecular weight is beneficial for antioxidant and antibacterial activity of the films. Addition of rice hydrolysate improved the solubility and extensibility of the films, while the incorporation of curcumin further enhanced the bioactivities of the films.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Ekaterina Podgorbunskikh, Timofei Kuskov, Denis Rychkov, Oleg Lomovskii, Aleksey Bychkov
Summary: The mechanical amorphization process of chitosan samples with different molecular weights showed no significant differences, with maximum amorphization achieved within 600 seconds of high intensity mechanical action. Specific energy consumption for chitosan was comparable to that of cellulose but higher than that of starch. Different techniques for determining the crystallinity index of chitosan were compared, with the peak deconvolution method showing greater accuracy but increased difficulty with processed samples.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiao Wang, Jialin He, Qunmei Wei, Yang Zhang, Yu Li, Zhen Zhang, Wei Zhao, Guofu Zhou
Summary: This study systematically investigates the influence of molecular weight on the helical twisting power (HTP) of chiral oligomers used as chiral dopants, establishing a relationship between HTP value and molecular weight that depends on molecular structure. These insights could aid in developing analytical methods for functional devices based on chiral liquid crystal polymers.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2021)
Review
Polymer Science
Cleidiane Goncalves, Nelson Ferreira, Lucia Lourenco
Summary: Chitosan's molecular weight can be regulated through different hydrolysis methods, with acid hydrolysis being the most commonly used method, but may cause environmental impacts. Combining different hydrolysis methods may be the most effective approach, although it could increase costs. Enzymatic hydrolysis is widely studied due to its environmental advantages and high specificity, but factors such as hydrolysis time and cost still limit its industrial application.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jonathan Carrasco-Sandoval, Mario Aranda, Karem Henriquez-Aedo, Marcos Fernandez, Amparo Lopez-Rubio, Maria Jose Fabra
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the impact of chitosan's molecular weight and degree of deacetylation on the bioaccessibility of quercetin encapsulated in alginate/chitosan-coated zein nanoparticles. The chitosan coating layer resulted in nanoparticulate systems with good stability, high encapsulation efficiency, and increased bioaccessibility of quercetin after in-vitro digestion. The best results were obtained using low molecular weight chitosan and high degree of deacetylation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Chanoong Lim, Dong Soo Hwang, Dong Woog Lee
Summary: The degree of acetylation (DA) of chitosan is crucial for determining its physical, chemical, and biological properties. This study investigated the molecular interactions of chitosan thin films under different molecular weight and DA conditions. Results showed that the interactions of low molecular weight and high molecular weight chitosan were influenced by different factors.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Danfeng Wang, Ruiying Song, Yue Liu, Jingyu Ren, Ying Zhang, Tiecheng Wang, Guangzhou Qu
Summary: This study developed a method to simultaneously produce low molecular weight chitosan and reducing sugars through chitosan depolymerization by surface discharge plasma. Active oxygen species and radicals in the discharge plasma played important roles in degrading chitosan and forming low molecular weight chitosan, which ultimately increased its biological activity. Discharge plasma could be an effective technique for chitosan depolymerization, expanding its potential applications.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Sawsan Affes, Rim Nasri, Suming Li, Thierry Thami, Arie Van der Lee, Moncef Nasri, Hana Maalej
Summary: This study focused on the changes in physicochemical and antioxidant properties of chitosan-depolymerization products (CDP) films with varying molecular weights after crosslinking by heat treatment and Maillard reaction. It was found that glucose addition significantly enhanced the antioxidant capacity of the films, especially in those with lower molecular weights. Furthermore, thermal treatment improved the thermal stability and mechanical properties of the films.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Savannah R. Cassin, Stephen Wright, Samuel Mckeating, Oliver B. Penrhyn-Lowe, Sean Flynn, Sarah Lomas, Pierre Chambon, Steve P. Rannard
Summary: The manipulation of reaction concentration in Transfer-dominated Branching Radical Telomerisation (TBRT) enables the synthesis of hyperbranched polymers with tuneable physical properties for advanced materials.