Evaluation of selected properties of biocompatible chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) blends

Selected properties of chitosan (CS) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blends crosslinked by tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) were studied. XRD analysis showed characteristics peak at 22.5° attributed to the crystalline structure of CS and PVA. DSC thermograms unveiled the quantitative determination of free, intermediate and bound water in the blends. Tensile strength and fracture strain of blends were observed due to the combined effect of physically and chemically crosslinked network structures. The decrease in water contact angle indorsed the hydrophilic performance while the storage modulus G′ and loss modulus G″ was decreased as the temperature was increased exhibited the viscoelastic property of the blends. The fabricated blends can be employed for drug delivery systems, tissue engineering and other biomedical applications.