Novel chitosan-derived nanomaterials and their micelle-forming properties

Six novel N-alkyl-N-dimethyl and N-alkyl-N-trimethyl chitosan derivatives were chemically synthesized and characterized using FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffraction spectrometry (XRD). The alkyl groups included octyl (C8H17-), decanyl (C10H21-), and lauryl (C12H25-). These chitosan derivatives were also evaluated for their micelle-forming properties using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. All six chitosan derivatives were capable of forming polymeric micelles in water with an average particle diameter ranging from 36 to 218 nm. Both N-octyl-N-dimethyl and N-octyl-N-trimethyl chitosan derivatives formed nanomicelles under the experimental conditions, with an average particle diameter of 36.0 and 52.5, respectively. Both the length of alkyl group and the N-trimethylation degree of the chitosan derivatives altered the size of their polymeric micelles. To further understand the effect of N-alkyl substitution degree of chitosan derivatives on size of their micelles, additional five N-octyl-N-trimethyl chitosan derivatives with N-alkyl substitution degree ranging from 8 to 58% were prepared and their micelle sizes were determined. The results showed that the diameter of the nanomicelles was proportional to the degree of N-octyl substitution. These data suggest that novel N-alkyl-N-dimethyl and N-alkyl-N-trimethyl chitosan derivatives may form nanomicelles. Additional research is required to further investigate the potential value-added utilization of these chitosan derivatives in controlled release and targeted delivery of hydrophobic bioactive food factors.