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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Preparation of Expanded Chitin Foams and their Use in the Removal of Aqueous Copper
Published on: February 27, 2021
Surface active properties of chitosan and its derivatives
Maher Z Elsabee1, Rania Elsayed Morsi, A M Al-Sabagh
1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, 12613 Cairo 12613, Egypt. mzelsabee@yahoo.com
Abstract:
This review discusses the definition of surface active agents and specifically natural polymeric surface active agents. Chitosan by itself was found to have weak surface activity since it has no hydrophobic segments. Chemical modifications of chitosan could improve such surface activity. This is achieved by introducing hydrophobic substituents in its glucosidic group. Several examples of chitosan derivatives with surfactant activity have been surveyed. The surface active polymers form micelles and aggregates which have enormous importance in the entrapment of water-insoluble drugs and consequently applications in the controlled drug delivery and many biomedical fields. Chitosan also interacts with several substrates by electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions with considerable biomedical applications.
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