Preparation and characterization of amphiphilic chitosan/iodine composite film as antimicrobial material

The composite film of amphiphilic chitosan/iodine, poly(aminoethyl) chitosan citronellal Schiff base iodine (PACSC-I), was prepared, and characterized by SEM, AFM, FTIR, ¹H NMR and XRD. The physicochemical properties of the film including hydrophilicity, water absorption, mechanical, thermal degradation, iodine release and antibacterial properties were tested, and the cytocompatibility evaluation of the composite film was also performed. The results showed that PACSC-I was successfully prepared with good hydrophilicity (water contact angle 47.34°), water absorption capacity (water absorption ratio 229.55 %), elasticity (elongation at break 6.72 %) and thermal stability. The composite film had a controlled release effect on iodine, reaching a maximum released concentration of 8.84 × 10^-4 mol/L. PACSC-I exerted a synergistic antibacterial effect with strong antibacterial activities. Cell viability and apoptosis assays showed that PACSC-I had good biocompatibility towards HaCaT cells. Therefore, the PACSC-I film had promising applications in the medical field as antibacterial material.