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Treatment of infected wound by simultaneously eliminating bacteria and inducing angiogenesis to promote wound tissue regeneration remains a clinical challenge. Dynamic and reversable hydrogels can adapt to irregular wound beds, which have raised great attention as wound dressings. Herein, a sprayable chitosan-based hydrogel (HPC/CCS/ODex-IGF1) was developed using hydroxypropyl chitosan (HPC), caffeic acid functionalized chitosan (CCS), oxidized dextran (ODex) to crosslink through the dynamic imine bond, which was pH-responsive to the acidic microenvironment and could controllably release insulin growth factor-1 (IGF1). The HPC/CCS/ODex-IGF1 hydrogels not only showed self-healing, self-adaptable and sprayable properties, but also exhibited excellent antibacterial ability, antioxidant property, low-cytotoxicity and angiogenetic activity. In vivo experiments demonstrated that hydrogels promoted tissue regeneration and healing of bacteria-infected wound with a rate of approximately 98.4 % on day 11 by eliminating bacteria, reducing inflammatory and facilitating angiogenesis, demonstrating its great potential for wound dressing., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The author declare that they have no competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in the paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The development of highly effective chitosan-based hemostatic materials that can be utilized for deep wound hemostasis remains a considerable challenge. In this study, a hemostatic antibacterial chitosan/N-hydroxyethyl acrylamide (NHEMAA)/Ti 3 C 2 T x (CSNT) composite cryogel was facilely prepared through the physical interactions between the three components and the spontaneous condensation of NHEMAA. Because of the formation of strong crosslinked network, the CSNT cryogel showed a developed pore structure (~ 99.07 %) and superfast water/blood-triggered shape recovery, enabling it to fill the wound after contacting the blood. Its capillary effect, amino groups, negative charges, and affinity with lipid collectively induced rapid hemostasis, which was confirmed by in vitro and in vivo analysis. In addition, CSNT cryogel showed excellent photothermal antibacterial activities, high biosafety, and in vivo wound healing ability. Furthermore, the presence of chitosan effectively prevented the oxidation of MXene, thus enabling the long-term storage of the MXene-reinforced cryogel. Thus, our hemostatic cryogel demonstrates promising potential for clinical application and commercialization, as it combines high resilience, rapid hemostasis, efficient sterilization, long-term storage, and easy mass production., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

In this study, the quaternized carboxymethyl chitosan (QCMCS), oxidized hyaluronic acid (OHA), 3,3'-dithiobis-(propionohydrazide) (DTP) were used as raw materials for the synthesis of hydrogels with excellent properties as carriers for drug release. The hydrogels were prepared by a simple "one-pot" method without external stimuli on the basis of interactions between formed dynamic covalent bonds (imine bonds, acylhydrazone bonds, disulfide bonds) and hydrogen bonds. The hydrogels had rapid self-healing properties, with a self-healing rate of 96 % after 30 min, as well as good pH responsiveness and excellent cytocompatibility (up to 98 % cell survival). The compressive stress of the hydrogels reached 423 kPa. Moreover, a representative drug (acetylsalicylic acid) demonstrated sustained release in the hydrogels (>72 h). The drug release behaviour was shown to be consistent with the Fick diffusion mechanism by kinetic modelling. Collectively, the findings demonstrate that the QCMCS + OHA + DTP injectable self-healing hydrogels are a potential material for the construction of pH-controlled drug delivery platforms., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Using environmentally friendly biomaterials in different aspects of human life has been considered extensively. In this respect, different biomaterials have been identified and different applications have been found for them. Currently, chitosan, the well-known derivative of the second most abundant polysaccharide in the nature (i.e., chitin), has been receiving a lot of attention. This unique biomaterial can be defined as a renewable, high cationic charge density, antibacterial, biodegradable, biocompatible, non-toxic biomaterial with high compatibility with cellulose structure, where it can be used in different applications. This review takes a deep and comprehensive look at chitosan and its derivative applications in different aspects of papermaking., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Bacterial cellulose (BC) lithium-ion batteries separators possess outstanding thermal dimensional stability and electrolyte wettability, but theirs nano diameter and high aspect ratio lead to poor porosity and pore size uniformity of dense BC separators, limiting the Li + transmission in the separators. In this paper, chitosan (CS) with different molecular weight was grafted onto BC (named OBCS), and a high-performance OBCS separator with excellent pore structure and tunable pore size was prepared by simple suction filtration. The spacing and dispersion uniformity of OBCS were improved by the CS grafted on BC surface, thus improving the pore structure and porosity of OBCS separators. The results showed that the obtained OBCS separators not only have excellent physicochemical properties, but also exhibit higher electrochemical performances than the commercial polypropylene (PP) separator. This work provides a new feasible strategy for improving the pore structure and porosity of nanocellulose separators., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest There are no conflicts of interest to declare in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We report herein the dielectric properties response of two ionic chitosan derivatives. More specifically, we report here chitosan derivatives bearing guanidinium groups, prepared through the reaction between chitosan and cyanamide when scandium (III) triflate is present. The anionic counter ions of the guanidinium groups could be changed by working either in acetic acid or hydrochloric acid. In this way, two chitosan derivatives, namely N-guanidinium chitosan acetate (GChAc) and N-guanidinium chitosan chloride (GChCl), were produced. The materials were investigated by 13 C solid state NMR, FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM and TEM analysis and compared with the parent chitosan. Dielectric spectroscopy has been used to study the relaxation behavior of the parent chitosan and the new chitosan derivatives over wide ranges of temperature and frequency, indicating that local motion is affected by counter ions. Due to these features, these materials are interesting candidates as high-power electrical materials for green technological applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The increasing environmental burden generated by disposable plastic wastes makes the development of sustainable substitute materials an emergent task. As one of the most abundant bioresources, chitosan (CS) has been considered as a potential candidate for plastic substitution. Conventionally, CS-based materials are fabricated through a solution-processing procedure due to the high crystallinity of CS. Herein, we designed a CS-based material via integrating CS into the network of polyimine (PI), which shows thermomechanical processability similar to plastics. Strong interactions were achieved through dynamic imine bond and hydrogen bond and thus formed a thermo-processable dynamic composite network. These CS-based plastic substitutes exhibit exceptional mechanical performances, excellent thermal/chemical stability, and a series of self-adaptiveness, including re-healing, reprocessing and multi-layer laminating. Notably, CPs can be easily degraded and 100% recycled for the production of next-generation materials. This work provides an alternative route to produce green and sustainable biomass materials as a plastic substitute., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Bio-inspired borate cross-linked pulp foam (PF) with high porosity and low density can be widely used in many fields. However, PF is flammable, and lack of mechanical strength and antibacterial activity. To solve these issues, an ultra-strong PF was prepared by incorporation of chitosan and cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM). Results showed that the obtained PF exhibited highly improved mechanical properties (the compressive strength (485 kPa at a strain of 50%) was over 6 times higher compared with the borate cross-linked PF without chitosan and CPAM, and it was even higher than most of the reported cellulose-based porous materials). Also, the prepared PF has good performance on fire-retardance (hard to light), thermal insulation, antibiosis and sound absorption, due to the synergistic actions of borate, chitosan and CPAM. Additionally, spent liquor in preparing PF could be fully recycled, and thus this sustainable approach has potential for large-scale production of high-performance PF., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The cumulative toxicity of AgNPs has limited their application in food packaging. As such, the quest for AgNPs should focus on controlling their release to reduce the cumulative toxicity. Here, two kinds of green hydrothermal carbonized methods were used to treat sulfhydryl-modified chitosan to obtain two kinds of carbon spheres/AgNPs (Glutinous rice sesameballs-like AgNPs-SMCS and dragon fruit-like SMCS-Ag), which exhibited good stability and high immobilization efficiency for AgNPs, and the release of total Ag from AgNPs-SMCS and SMCS-Ag were only about 5.63% and 3.59% after 14 days, respectively. Subsequently, they were added into chitosan separately to prepare chitosan-based films. Two carbon spheres/AgNPs regulated the microstructure of chitosan-based films because of the electrostatic interaction and the micro-nanometer filling behavior, thus further immobilized the AgNPs. Importantly, the films presented good antibacterial activity and excellent safety. These results will provide a theoretical basis for the green and safe design of AgNPs antibacterial agent., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The present study explored the use of chitosan films functionalized with antioxidants extracted from Larix decidua Mill. bark for active packaging. The pristine chitosan and extract-incorporated chitosan films were evaluated for their structural, physico-mechanical, thermal, viscoelastic and antioxidant properties using advanced characterization techniques. The infrared spectroscopy revealed hydrogen bonding between the extract polyphenolic antioxidants and chitosan, whereas the surface microscopy studies indicated good compatibility between them. The addition of bark extract caused a significant increase in color parameters and solubility with reduction in swelling and elongation at break of the films. The thermal analysis indicated a drop in thermal stability of chitosan films modified with the extract. The dynamic mechanical analysis confirmed the extract-polymer interactions and the viscoelastic nature of the films. The incorporation of bark extract caused remarkable enhancement in the antioxidant activity of chitosan films. Overall, larch bark extract-functionalized chitosan films demonstrated promising potential for food packaging., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

This work demonstrated a facile and sustainable approach to functionalize cellulose nanopaper (CNP) by impregnation of chitosan (CS) and the followed halogenation. It was found that the tensile strength of the functionalized CNP (CNP/CS-Cl) was enhanced by 38.3% and 512.6% at dry and wet conditions, respectively. Meanwhile, the total transmittance (at 550 nm) of CNP/CS-Cl was increased from 75% of pure CNP to 85%, with 35% decrease in optical haze. Moreover, the CNP/CS-Cl exhibited significant enhancement in barrier properties. Importantly, part of the amino groups on CS were transformed into N-halamines during the halogenation process, which endowed the CNP/CS-Cl with excellent antibacterial performance against both S. aureus and E. coli with 100% bacterial reduction after 10 min of contact. Thus, this work provides a simple and efficient approach to functionalize CNP with water resistance, high transparency, excellent antibacterial and barrier properties, which will expand the potential applications of CNP., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Transparent-wood (TW) is an emerging research topic that can be applied to biobased products. However, it is necessary to fill pores in TW with natural substances to prepare all-biobased TW. This paper reports an all-biobased TW by infiltrating cellulose nanofiber (CNF) and chitosan (CTS) suspensions into the bleached wood. CNF was isolated by combining the chemical and physical methods, and CTS was dissolved in acetic acid, and they were infiltrated into the pores of the bleached Fir veneer wood using a vacuum jar. The CNF and chitosan effects on the mechanical properties of the TW were studied, and the morphologies, crystallinity index, water contact angle, antioxidant, thermal degradation, and UV-shielding properties were investigated. The prepared TW showed 80 % total transmittance and 30-60 % haze, suitable for solar cell application. The all-biobased TW showed good thermal stability up to 315 °C and excellent UV shielding property for UV-B and UV-C. The antioxidant property of the CTS-TW significantly increased as compared to the original wood. The CNF-TW showed considerable tensile strength and yield strength of more than 200 % improved from the original wood. The potential for environment-friendly packaging applications was demonstrated by making a bag, medicine packaging, and straw for a drink., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The laccase/TEMPO system was employed to oxidise the C6 primary hydroxyl group on the chitosan (CS) to form a carboxyl group to obtain oxidised chitosan (C-COS). The silver-oxidised chitosan complex(C-COS-Ag) was prepared by reacting C-COS with silver nitrate, then C-COS-Ag and cotton fibres were subjected to a reaction to prepare bacteriostatic fibres. FT-IR and XPS analysis showed that: Ag + and C-COS were combined in these forms: Ag, [Ag(NH 3 ) 2 ] OH, -COOAg, and Ag 2 O. C-COS-Ag was combined with cotton fibres by way of ester bonds. The inhibition zone of bacteriostatic fibres was all greater than 11 mm. After 50 washing tests, the bacteriostatic effect of bacteriostatic fibres remained at above 99 %. The amount of silver ions that had migrated from the bacteriostatic fibre was 3.336 mg/kg., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Bacterial breeding is the main cause of food perishability, which is harmful to human health. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the most widely used antimicrobial agents, but they are easy to release and cause cumulative toxicity. In this work, with corn stalk as green reductant and GO as template, a simple electrostatic self-assembled sandwich-like chitosan (CS) wrapped rGO@AgNPs nanocomposite film (CS/rGO@AgNPs) was synthesized to achieve stabilizing and controlled-release of AgNPs. The results showed that the the CS/rGO@AgNPs film continued releasing AgNPs for up to 14 days, and the final release amount of silver nanoparticles was only about 1.9 %. More importantly, the nanocomposite film showed durable antibacterial effect and good antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus, and they showed no toxicity to cells. Hence, the nanocomposite film has potential application as an effective and safe packaging material to prolong the shelf life of food products., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The asymmetric wetting membranes have attracted intense attention in liquid directional transportation. However, it is a huge challenge to prepare surface layer membrane for sanitary products with antibacterial and asymmetric wettability by a simple method. Herein, the bacterial cellulose grafted with chitosan (BC-CS) was used as the hydrophilic agent to modify polypropylene nonwoven fabric (PPF) substrate via easy and effective one-sided layer-by-layer spraying to prepare the asymmetric wetting and antibacterial composite membrane (BC-CS/PPF). It showed that the BC-CS/PPF had good physical properties, which was attributed to the strong and uniform physical combination between nano-sized BC-CS and PPF. The sanitary products with BC-CS/PPF surface layer, denoted as BC-CS/PPF sanitary products, also had good absorption and anti-return property. The antibacterial test revealed that BC-CS had an excellent performance against S. aureus and E. coli in the simulated application environment. Moreover, the antibacterial performance was better than that of commercial sanitary products., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to investigate the physicochemical properties of chitosan (CS) based composite films with the incorporation of hemicelluloses (HC). Films were obtained via direct immersion method and characterized in terms of structural and morphological properties by FT-IR, XRD, XPS, SEM and EDS. By combining with the increased HC loading efficiency (L) and swelling property (S) of films with the increased HC content to 5%, this study proved the increased hydrogen bond interactions between CS and HC. Films with the tensile strength of 32.81 ± 4.97 MPa and elongation at break of 39.63 ± 4.67% were obtained with 3% HC and 20% glycerol (GC). The water vapor permeability (WVP) of films developed with the increased HC and GC contents, while the oxygen permeability (OP) decreased. Moreover, antibacterial testing indicated that all films exhibited the increased growth inhibition against E. coli and S. aureus as increasing TiO 2 content., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

A new self-crosslinked composite hydrogel is prepared with chitosan (CS) and cationic guar gum (CGG), based on the imine and acetal chemistry for gelation. The CS/CGG hydrogel exhibits thermal/pH responsiveness, injectability, adhesiveness and good compressive strength. The hydrogel is effective in removing phosphate from wastewater through an adsorption process, during which KH 2 PO 4 is used as a phosphate model. The adsorption complies with the Freundlich model, indicating that it is a multilayered process with complex adsorption mechanisms. Considering their porous structure and nitrogen/phosphorus heteroatoms doping, the phosphate-adsorbed hydrogels are made into porous N,P doped carbon aerogels that can be potentially used as electrodes for a supercapacitor. The results indicate that these carbon aerogels possess excellent capacitive performance (best specific capacitance of 302.2 ± 4.9 F/g), as well as good cycling stability after 5000 times of charging/discharging., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

New chitosan derivatives bearing guanidinium functions were synthesized following different synthesis strategies. N-guanidinium chitosan acetate and N-guanidinium chitosan chloride were synthesized by direct reaction between chitosan and cyanamide in the presence of scandium(III) triflate. The synthesis of N-guanidinium chitosan (N,N'-dicyclohexyl) chloride and N-guanidinium chitosan (N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N'-ethyl hydrochloride) chloride involved the reaction of chitosan with carbodiimides in ionic liquid. The chitosan derivatives were characterized by analytical techniques including 13 C solid state NMR, FT-IR spectroscopies, thermogravimetry and elemental analysis. The antimicrobial properties of chitosan and the new derivatives were investigated using the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) technique. All new guanylated chitosan derivatives displayed high antimicrobial activity in comparison with neat chitosan. The N-guanidinium chitosan acetate reduced the time required for killing to half in comparison with chitosan and recorded MIC values less than 3.125 mg/mL against all assayed microorganisms. This work opens new perspectives for using chitosan derivatives as antimicrobial surfaces., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Natural active compounds with antioxidant properties and other potential health benefits, like quercetin (Qu), have aroused wide concern for developing bio-functional products. However, their applications are hindered by their intrinsic poor water solubility and chemical instability. In this paper, a natural antioxidant alpha lipoic acid (ALA) was grafted onto chitosan (CS) to synthesize a novel graft polymer (CS-graft-ALA). In particular, this graft-polymer could self-assemble into spherical nanomicelles in water, with a low critical micelle concentration (CMC) of 0.0076 mg/mL. As a robust and active nanocarrier, the CS-graft-ALA micelles showed high efficiency in encapsulating Qu and dispersing Qu in water. As found, the antioxidant activity of Qu was effectively enhanced when entrapped within CS-graft-ALA micelles. Moreover, CS-graft-ALA micelles could significantly improve the photo-stability and temperature-stability of Qu. The Qu/CS-graft-ALA micelles with excellent water dispersability, stability and improved antioxidant activity hold a great potential for wide applications., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A simple method was proposed for preparing the dialdehyde-β-cyclodextrin (DA-β-CD) cross-linked carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) hydrogels for drug delivery. DA-β-CD was yielded from the sodium periodate oxidation of β-CD. Phenolphthalein (PhP) was adopted as a model drug to study the drug loading and releasing properties of the obtained hydrogels. The results show that the ability of the hydrogel to load drug is affected by the aldehyde content of DA-β-CD. The inclusion constant of DA-β-CD toward PhP is lower than that of the original β-CD and decreased with the rising of the aldehyde content. An increased cross-linking degree between DA-β-CD and CMCS slows the PhP release to some extent. In comparison with glyoxal/CMCS, DA-β-CD/CMCS presents better PhP release properties. Only 19.2 % of PhP loaded in glyoxal/CMCS was released within 24 h. Half of PhP loaded in DA-β-CD/CMCS was released in 2 h and about 90 % was released within 12 h., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

As a kind of potential absorbent, polysaccharide materials are limited due to weak stability, low absorption and recovery rate. Herein, a novel composite adsorbent - the magnetic composite gel beads (CMC/SA/graphene oxide@Fe 3 O 4 ) were prepared by combining carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC), sodium alginate (SA) with graphene oxide@Fe 3 O 4 , and then utilized for the adsorption of Cu 2+ , Cd 2+ and Pb 2+ from the wastewater. The physicochemical property of CMC/SA/graphene oxide@Fe 3 O 4 beads were characterized in detail. The CMC/SA/graphene oxide@Fe 3 O 4 magnetic gel beads could separate easily from the wastewater and showed a higher stability due to the addition of graphene oxide@Fe 3 O 4 . The adsorption experiments show that the adsorption of Cu 2+ , Cd 2+ and Pb 2+ on the magnetic gel bead was well fitted with pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir isotherm model, and the maximum adsorption capacity of Cu 2+ , Cd 2+ and Pb 2+ reached 55.96, 86.28 and 189.04 mg/g, respectively. Moreover, the magnetic gel beads had selective adsorption toward Pb 2+ . In addition, the magnetic gel beads still obtained 90% of the adsorption rates after five cycles, and showed good adsorption efficiency in the simulated real environment. This work proves that the CMC/SA/graphene oxide@Fe 3 O 4 magnetic gel beads as the adsorbents have promising potential in wastewater treatment., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Bacterial cellulose is an attractive material due to its outstanding biocompatibility, nanometer size and high purity, but the difficulty of dispersing has restricted its wide applications. In this study, chitosan was grafted onto bacterial cellulose by Schiff base reaction, and then obtained the nano-sized fibrils by ultrasonic dispersion process. Different concentrations of NaIO 4 with various time and temperature were applied, and the maximum grafting amount of chitosan was 12.38%. The obtained products were characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM and TEM. From the dispersibility and stability behavior research, the suspension containing chitosan was more uniform and showed better acid and temperature stability. It can also be observed in SEM and TEM images that the bacterial cellulose were dispersed into single ones and the diameter of the isolated fibril was 30-80 nm., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A functionalized paper based on gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) conjugated graphene oxide (GO) was developed for near-infrared (NIR) laser triggered photothermal ablation against infectious bacterial pathogens. Firstly, quaternized carboxymethyl chitosan (QCMC) not only acted as reducing agent to synthesize Au NPs, but also functioned as coupling agent to link up Au NPs with GO. Au-QCMC-GO(+) was supposed to synergistically intensify the photothermal effect, which was then mixed with nanocellulose to form a functionalized paper via vacuum filtration. The photothermal efficiency, antibacterial treatment and mechanical property of Au-QCMC-GO(+)/nanocellulose paper were investigated. Excited by NIR laser irradiation, Au-QCMC-GO(+)/nanocellulose paper generated a temperature rise over 80 °C, sufficient for photothermal ablation upon both Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and Stapylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Additionally, Au-QCMC-GO(+)/nanocellulose paper showed a remarkable enhancement in tensile strength, bursting index and tear index compared to those of pure nanocellulose paper., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Bionanocomposites hydrogel based on conducting polymers were successfully fabricated from chitosan/polyacrylic acid/polypyrrole (CS/PAA/PPy) as well as the magnetite nanoparticle (Fe 3 O 4 -NPs) was prepared via co-precipitation method. In addition, different ratios of Fe 3 O 4 -NPs were added to the prepared bionanocomposites to enhance the antimicrobial and the electrical conductivity of the prepared conductive hydrogel. Furthermore, the morphology, the swelling percent, antimicrobial activity and the dielectric properties of the prepared conducting bionanocomposites hydrogel were investigated. The antibacterial activities of the experienced microbes were improved with the increasing the loading of Fe 3 O 4 -NPs in conducting Bio-nanocomposites hydrogel. Moreover, the DC-conductivity was examined and our resulted indicated that the DC-conductivity was enhanced by increasing the loadings of Fe 3 O 4 -NPs compared to that of the pure CS/PAA as well as CS/PAA/PPy., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Microorganisms can spread on the surface of banknotes and cause many infectious diseases. Chitosan nanofibers (CNFs) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are nanomaterials, which can affect the antimicrobial properties. In this study, the fungal species that grew on the surfaces of collected banknotes from different places were identified. To examine the antifungal effect of the both nanomaterials on the banknotes, the stable coatings using CNFs and CNCs emulsions were prepared by roller coating. The results revealed that the most colonies in the banknotes obtained from the bakeries and butcheries were Aspergillus sp., whereas the colonies in bus terminals and the hospitals were Aspergillus niger and Penicillium, respectively. The results showed that the CNCs had no antifungal effect alone on the aforementioned species, but it could improve the antifungal effect, adhesion, and stability of CNFs on the banknote surfaces. This study suggested a new approach to decrease the infection spreads through banknotes., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The chitosan adsorption on films prepared using nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) with different content of aldehyde group was studied by means of Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCM-D). Results showed that frequency change (Δf) was higher when the chitosan adsorbed on NFC film consisting more aldehyde group indicating the higher adsorption. The (Δf) and dissipation (ΔD) factors completely changed during adsorption of chitosan pre-treated with acetic acid: Δf increased and ΔD decreased, oppositely to un-treated chitosan adsorption. After acid treatment, molecular weight and crystallinity index of chitosan decreased addition to change in chemical structure. It was found that more phosphate buffered saline (PBS), as a model liquid for wound exudate, adsorbed to acid treated chitosan-NFC film, especially to film having more aldehyde groups. Comparing with bare NFC film, chitosan-NFC films adsorbed less PBS because chitosan crosslinked the NFC network and blocked the functional groups of NFC and thus, preventing swelling film., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

It is of technical and economic importance to develop an effective cosmetic ingredient against skin aging through low-cost and facile production. This study developed a polymer/layered silicate nanocomposite as cosmetic ingredient against skin aging. Firstly, quaternized carboxymethyl chitosan (QCMC)/organic montmorillonite (OMMT) nanocomposite (QCOM) was fabricated via solution-induced intercalation. QCOM with different mass ratios of QCMC to OMMT were studied by various characterizations as well as moisture-adsorption and retention activities and UV-protection capacity. QCOM was then added into a cosmetic formulation to prepare a cosmetic cream. And the evaluation of its efficacy about skin care was conducted. The results showed that the optimal QCOM had better moisture-adsorption and retention behaviors than hyaluronic acid, and QCOM solution displayed good UV-protection ability. Furthermore, the QCOM-containing cosmetic cream meets the hygienic standard for cosmetics; it has negligible dermal irritation and a prominent moisture-retention efficacy on human stratum corneum., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

N,N,N-trimehtyl chitosan (TMC) is a water-soluble derivate of chitosan, which has been widely used as a biomedical material due to its excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability and bacterial properties. To date, TMC can only be prepared by the quaternization of chitosan using alkyl halide or dimethyl sulfate. However, alkyl halide and dimethyl sulfate are highly toxic, cancerigenic for humans, and harmful to the environment. This paper puts forward a novel approach to preparing TMC using dimethyl carbonate as a methylation reagent in an ionic liquid. The as-synthesized O-methyl-free TMC was characterized using NMR, FTIR, XRD and TG analyses. The results showed that TMC with a degree of quaternization of 9.11% was successfully obtained and the crystallinity of chitosan decreased with the increasing degree of N-methylation, the thermal stability of TMC was lower than that of chitosan. Furthermore, the effects of the dose of ionic liquid and dimethyl carbonate were disscussed., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Nonspecific protein deposition on Lyocell fibers via a cationization step was explored by adsorption of two different N,N,N-trimethyl chitosan chlorides (TMCs). Both, the cationization and the subsequent protein deposition steps were performed and monitored in situ by evaluating the zeta potential using the streaming potential method. Both employed TMCs (degree of substitution with N + Me 3 Cl groups: 0.27 and 0.64) irreversibly adsorb on the fibers as proven by charge reversal (-12 to +7mV for both derivatives) after the final rinsing step. Onto these cationized fibers, BSA was deposited at different pH values (4, 5, and 7). Charge titrations revealed that close to the isoelectric point of BSA (4.7), BSA deposition was particularly favored, while at lower pH values (pH 4), hardly any adsorption took place due to electrostatic repulsion of the cationic fibers and the positively charged BSA. This work sets the foundation for further investigations to use zeta potential measurements for protein adsorption studies on fibrous materials., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cellulosic fiber introducing with photochromic properties can be used in many fields such as security packaging, printing paper, and rewritable paper. To introduce photochromic property to individual fiber, a polyelectrolyte composite layer composed of cationic chitosan (CS) and anionic carboxyl-containing spiropyran (SPCOOH) on pulp fibers was designed using layer-by-layer assembly technique. Scanning electron microscope observation showed that the SPCOOH was successfully absorbed onto the surface of fiber. The photochromic characteristic of LbL-treated fiber could be triggered by UV-vis absorption spectrum and the LbL-treated fibers had a good compatibility with pulp fibers. This study gives a highly effective method to impart the photochromic characteristic to paper., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Thermogravimetric characteristics of chitin and chitosan and their potentials to produce value-added organonitrogen chemicals were separately evaluated via TG/DSC-FTIR and Py-GC/MS. Results shown that chitin had the better thermal stability and higher activation energy than chitosan because of the abundant acetamido group. Furthermore, the dominated volatilization in active pyrolysis of chitin contributed to its endothermic property, whereas the charring in chitosan led to the exothermal. During fast pyrolysis, the acetamido group in chitin and chitosan was converted into acetic acid or acetamide. Typical products from chitosan pyrolysis were aza-heterocyclic chemicals, i.e. pyridines, pyrazines, and pyrroles, with the total selectivity of 50.50% at 600°C. Herein, selectivity of pyrazine compounds was up to 22.99%. These aza-heterocyclic chemicals came from the nucleophilic addition reaction of primary amine and carbonyl. However, main reaction during chitin pyrolysis was ring-opening degradation, which led to the formation of acetamido chemicals, especially acetamido acetaldehyde with the highest selectivity of 27.27% at 450°C. In summary, chitosan had the potential to produce aza-heterocyclic chemicals, and chitin to acetamido chemicals., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Quaternized carboxymethyl chitosan/organic rectorite (QCMC/OREC) nanocomposites were rapidly prepared by intercalating QCMC into the layer of OREC under microwave irradiation. And then copper-chelate QCMC/OREC (QCMC/OREC-Cu) nanocomposites were obtained by mixing QCMC/OREC with CuSO4 solution. XRD and TEM results indicated that QCMC/OREC nanocomposites were obtained and QCMC was dispersed in the interlayer of OREC. Besides, FT-IR results revealed that the hydrogen bonds and electrostatic interaction in QCMC/OREC-Cu were both stronger than those in QCMC/OREC because of introducing the Cu(2+). The thermogravimetric analysis showed that the thermal stability of QCMC/OREC-Cu nanocomposites was higher than QCMC and QCMC/OREC. Algae inhibition assay revealed that QCMC/OREC-Cu nanocomposites had stronger antifouling activity than original QCMC and QCMC/OREC. This work provides important basis for developing novel antifouling materials., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Incorporation of nanofillers into a polymeric matrix has received much attention as a route to reinforced polymer nanocomposites. In the present work, an environmentally friendly chitosan (CTS)/titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanocomposite coating was designed/prepared and subsequently employed for imparting antibacterium and improved mechanical properties to cellulosic paper via surface coating. Effect of TiO2 nanoparticle loadings on the rheological behavior of nanocomposite coatings was investigated. Surface application of CTS/TiO2 nanocomposite coatings to cellulosic paper was performed, and the antibacterial activity and mechanical properties of surface-coated cellulosic paper were examined. Results showed that the increased TiO2 nanoparticle loadings decreased the viscosity and dynamic viscoelasticity of the as-prepared coatings, and improved the antibacterial activity and mechanical properties of surface-coated cellulosic paper. The optimum loading of TiO2 nanoparticles was identified at 10%. This work suggested that CTS/TiO2 nanocomposite coatings may have the potential to be used as a promising antibacterial protective coating for paper packaging., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Phenylboronic acid-derivatized chitosan (chitosan-PBA) were prepared by grafting small molecules bearing phenylboronic acid groups onto chitosan with N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) and N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N'-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) as a coupling reagent pair. Self-assembly multilayer thin films of chitosan-PBA and poly(vinyl alcohol) were subsequently produced under pH control on supporting surfaces, either a silicon wafer or polystyrene latex particles. The driving force of the self-assembly was the ester formation of phenylboronic acid containing polymers with PVA, which can be "turned off" by simple pH control., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Quaternized chitosan/organic montmorillonite (QCS/OMMT) nanocomposites were synthesized under microwave irradiation. XRD and TEM analyses confirmed that QCS intercalated into the interlayer of OMMT and clay layers distributed uniformly in QCS matrix. QCS/OMMT nanocomposites were used as retention and drainage-aid agents in pulp suspension, during which the interface behavior of positively charged QCS/OMMT nanocomposites on negatively charged cellulosic substrate and CaCO3 substrate was investigated. With the addition of QCS/OMMT nanocomposites, the particle size of cellulosic substrate increased, while the beating degree and the total residual carbohydrate concentration decreased. The results indicated that QCS/OMMT nanocomposite made a difference in paper making process through the charge patch interaction. Moreover, QCS/OMMT nanocomposites had a strong interaction with CaCO3, which was significant in fiber fines retention and paper production. When the mass ratio of QCS to OMMT was 8:1, the QCS/OMMT nanocomposite demonstrated the strongest retention and drainage-aid effect., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to investigate the oxidation of chitooligomer by a laccase-TEMPO system which had not previously been examined. Chitooligomer was treated with laccase and TEMPO in order to evaluate the potential of a laccase-TEMPO system to improve the moisture absorption, moisture retention, and antioxidant abilities of chitooligomer. Chitooligomer was prepared by degradation of high molecular weight chitosan with hydrogen peroxide followed by oxidation using a laccase-TEMPO system. (13)C NMR and carboxylate ion content detection results indicated that the laccase-TEMPO system could selectively oxidise the C6 hydroxyl group of the chitooligomer into carboxyl group; molecular weight distribution changes suggest that the structure of the oxidised product had changed and the molecular size and molecular weight decreased with the molecules in aqueous solution having a compact structure. Oxidation of chitooligomer by a laccase-TEMPO system resulted in a significant improvement in the moisture absorption, moisture retention and antioxidant abilities. The oxidised product has potential application values in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To obtain environmentally friendly antifouling agent, an effort was made to intercalate carboxymethyl chitosan into the interlayer of organic montmorillonite to prepare carboxymethyl chitosan/organic montmorillonite nanocomposites and their copper complexes. In comparison, carboxymethyl chitosan-copper complexes were also obtained. Their structures were characterized by X-ray diffaraction, transmittance electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared, and their thermal behavior and antimicrobial activity were discussed. The results revealed that the interlayer distance of carboxymethyl chitosan/organic montmorillonite nanocomposites enlarged with the increasing mass ratio of carboxymethyl chitosan to organic montmorillonite, when the mass ratio was at 20:1, the layer spacing of carboxymethyl chitosan/organic montmorillonite nanocomposites reached the maximum of 3.68 nm. As compared to other samples, carboxymethyl chitosan/organic montmorillonite-copper nanocomposites showed much higher thermal stability and inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli, the lowest minimum inhibition concentration was only 0.0003125% (w/v). The study provides a new method to find novel antifouling agent., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The presence of transition metals during the hydrogen peroxide bleaching of pulp results in the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, which decreases the bleaching efficiency. In this study, chitosans were used as peroxide stabilizer in the alkaline hydrogen peroxide bleaching of aspen chemithermomechanical pulp (CTMP). The results showed that the brightness of the bleached CTMP increased 1.5% ISO by addition of 0.1% chitosan with 95% degree of deacetylation during peroxide bleaching. Transition metals in the form of ions or metal colloid particles, such as iron, copper and manganese, could be adsorbed by chitosans. Chitosans could inhibit the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by different transition metals under alkaline conditions. The ability of chitosans to inhibit peroxide decomposition depended on the type of transition metals, chitosan concentration and degree of deacetylation applied. The addition of chitosan slightly reduced the concentration of the hydroxyl radical formed during the hydrogen peroxide bleaching of aspen CTMP., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To confer cellulose fibers antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, chitosan (CS)/lignosulfonates (LS) multilayers were constructed on fibers surfaces through layer-by-layer deposition technique. The formation of CS/LS multilayers on cellulose fibers surfaces was verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and zeta potential measurement. The surface morphologies of CS/LS multilayers on fibers surfaces were observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results showed that characteristic element (i.e. N and S element) content increased with increasing bilayers number, the surface LS content increased linearly as a function of bilayers. Zeta potential of modified fibers was inversed after deposition of each layer. AFM phase images indicated that the cellulose microfibrils on fibers surfaces were gradually covered by granular LS aggregate. The antimicrobial testing results demonstrated that CS/LS multilayers modified fibers with CS in the outermost layer exhibited higher antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli. The antioxidant testing results showed that antioxidant activity of CS/LS multilayers modified fibers was better than that of original fibers under the same oxidation conditions., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

β-Carotene (β-C) is a well-established natural antioxidant agent, but its poor water-solubility, low chemical stability and low bioavailability limit its application in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics industries. Thus it is critical to develop an efficient method to improve the water solubility and stability of β-C. In this research, amphiphilic chitosan-graft-poly (lactide) (CS-g-PLA) copolymer was synthesized via a homogeneous ring-opening polymerization (ROP) in ionic liquid. The obtained CS-g-PLA copolymer was able to self-assemble into about 14 nm micelles in water at low concentration, and β-C loaded micelles (β-C/M) had low β-C degradation after 15 days. The antioxidant properties of the β-C/M were investigated by the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method, respectively. Significantly improved antioxidant activity was observed for β-C/M in compare with free β-C. The aqueous dispersion of β-C/M has potential to be applied in the field of functional food and cosmetics., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A novel crosslinked hydrogel film was prepared from carboxymethylchitosan (CMCS) and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) by ionical and covalent crosslinking with CaSO4 and genipin, respectively. The swelling ratio of the crosslinked CMCS/CMC hydrogel films was investigated at different pH solutions (1-9), and the results indicated that the crosslinked hydrogels had the swelling-deswelling properties with two primary peaks of swelling ratio at pH 3 and 7. The surface morphologies of the crosslinked hydrogels at different pH values provided evidences of the swelling-deswelling properties. The mechanical properties of the hydrogel films were also examined. The ionical and covalent crosslinking were found to have the primary impact on the toughness and max load, respectively, of the crosslinked hydrogels. The cells comparatively cultured on the crosslinked hydrogels and the negative and positive controls suggested the biocompatibility of the crosslinked CMCS/CMC films. This kind of hydrogel films have potential application in drug delivery vehicles and skin tissue engineering., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Composite films designed as potentially edible food packaging were prepared by casting film-forming emulsions based on chitosan/glycerol/olive oil containing dispersed cellulose nanocrystals (CNs). The combined use of cellulose nanoparticles and olive oil proved to be an efficient method to reduce the inherently high water vapor permeability of plasticized chitosan films, improving at the same time their tensile behavior. At the same time, it was found that the water solubility slightly decreased as the cellulose content increased, and further decreased with oil addition. Unexpectedly, opacity decreased as cellulose content increased, which balanced the reduced transparency due to lipid addition. Contact angle decreased with CN addition, but increased when olive oil was incorporated. Results from dynamic mechanical tests revealed that all films present two main relaxations that could be ascribed to the glycerol- and chitosan-rich phases, respectively. The response of plasticized chitosan-nanocellulose films (without lipid addition) was also investigated, in order to facilitate the understanding of the effect of both additives., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In order to overcome the deficiencies of single layer coating, bilayer coated papers were prepared by two separate coating procedures using various combinations of proteins or polysaccharides with beeswax. Among those combinations, chitosan-beeswax bilayer coated paper showed the best water vapour barrier property. It was observed that as the concentration of chitosan solution increased from 1.0 to 3.0 wt%, its water vapour transport rate (WVTR) decreased from 171.6 to 52.8 g/m(2)/d but using reduced beeswax coating weight (from 10.1 to 4.9 g/m(2)). It also displayed an enhanced performance of grease resistance. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that beeswax layer was fitted to chitosan layer so closely that these two layers are indistinguishable. Confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) further confirmed the existence of an integrated chitosan film between beeswax layer and paper base and a thin composite layer consisting of chitosan and beeswax., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Novel magnetic hydrogel beads (m-CS/PVA/CCNFs), consisting of carboxylated cellulose nanofibrils (CCNFs), amine-functionalized magnetite nanoparticles and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blended chitosan (CS), were prepared by an instantaneous gelation method. SEM, XRD, and TGA techniques were applied to investigate the structure of the hydrogel materials. The magnetic hydrogels were employed as absorbents for removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions and the fundamental adsorption behavior was studied. Experimental results revealed that the m-CS/PVA/CCNFs hydrogels exhibit higher adsorption capacity with the value of 171.0mg/g, and the carboxylate groups on the CCNFs surface play an important role in Pb(II) adsorption. Moreover, adsorption isotherm data were reliably described by the Langmuir model and the adsorption kinetics closely followed pseudo-second order model. Additionally, the Pb(II)-loaded m-CS/PVA/CCNFs hydrogels could be easily regenerated in weak acid solution and the adsorption effectiveness of 90% can be maintained after the 4 cycles., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A facile method is reported to prepare Maillard reaction products (MRPs) from chitosan and xylan in co-solvent ionic liquid. UV absorbance and fluorescence changes were regarded as indicators of the occurrence of Maillard reaction. FT-IR, NMR, XRD and TG were used to investigate the structure of chitosan-xylan conjugate. The results revealed that when chitosan reacted with xylan in ionic liquid, the hydrogen bonds in chitosan were destroyed, the facts resulted in the formation of chitosan-xylan MRPs. Moreover, when the mass ratio of chitosan to xylan was 1:1, the Maillard reaction proceeded easily. In addition, relatively high antioxidant property was also noted for the chitosan-xylan conjugate with mass ratio 1:1. So the obtained chitosan-xylan MRP is a promising antioxidant agent for food industry., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this study, the application of different dosages of low and high molecular weights (MW) of chitosan (Ch), cationic starch (CS) and poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) were systematically investigated using old corrugated carton (OCC) furnishes. Various sequences of above-mentioned polymeric additives were also examined to find out the optimal combination for improving both wet and dry tensile strength. For each treatment, 4 handsheets, each having basis weight of 100 g/m(2), were made. In general, the tensile strength of handsheets was significantly affected by the addition of polymeric agents. The enhancing effect of additives on dry tensile property was much higher than wet condition. The results also showed that the tensile strength of the samples made from OCC furnishes were improved upon the addition of high molecular weight chitosan (ChI) compared to the untreated ones (control). The low MW chitosan did not change the properties of handsheets dramatically. Application of polymeric agents moderately decreased the stretch to rupture, however with increasing dosage the stretch was improved. Sequential addition of used polymers showed that triple application of polymers was beneficial to both dry and wet tensile strength, although the effect was larger for dry. The best results in wet and dry tensile strengths were achieved using sequential of PVA-ChI-CS. Sequential addition of oppositely charged polymers forms a macromolecular layered structure of polyelectrolytes., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Microwave irradiation was used to intercalate quaternized carboxymethyl chitosan oligosaccharide (QCMCO) into the layer of rectorite (REC) to prepare QCMCO/REC (QCOR) nanocomposites in 70 min, which was much faster than conventional heating method of 48 h. The structures and morphology of QCOR nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, TEM, FT-IR and zeta potential analysis, the thermal behavior and antimicrobial activity of QCOR nanocomposites were also discussed. The results revealed that the interlayer distance of QCOR nanocomposites enlarged with the increase of QCMCO content, hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction between QCMCO and REC took place. As compared to QCMCO, the crystallinity of QCOR nanocomposites reduced, the thermal stability of QCOR nanocomposites improved, and the inhibitory activity of QCOR nanocomposites against microorganisms was stronger, the lowest minimum inhibition concentration was only 0.025% (w/v), the antimicrobial mechanism was discussed via TEM and SEM micrographs., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Exfoliated quaternized carboxymethyl chitosan/rectorite (QCMC/REC) nanocomposite was prepared via microwave irradiation method for 70 min, which was performed in only water without any additional plasticizer. XRD, TEM, AFM, SEM and FTIR results revealed that when the mass ratio of QCMC to REC was no less than 4:1, the silicate layers of REC were completely exfoliated in QCMC matrix and were homogenous with QCMC, the surface of QCMC/REC nanobiocomposite was very smooth; two types of interactions of hydrogen bond and electrostatic attraction existed in the QCMC/REC nanobiocomposite. Thermal analysis indicated that QCMC/REC nanobiocomposite had higher thermal stability than only QCMC. Therefore, the microwave irradiation method appears to be a promising tool for preparing exfoliated biopolymer/layered silicate nanocomposites at a mild condition., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)