Improving the mechanical properties of chitosan through blending with poly(trimethylene carbonate) copolymer

In this study, a novel flexible material was fabricated by blending chitosan (CS) with a poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) copolymer. N-methyl-D-glucamine, which acts as a polyol, was grafted onto the PTMC copolymer to produce poly(TMC-co-TMC-glucamine) (PTTG), to enhance the hydrogen bonding interactions. The CS/PTTG blend films were then fabricated using solvent casting. The chemical interactions and thermal properties of the new materials were evaluated using FT-IR and TGA, which revealed a shift in wavenumber and a decrease in T₁₀. Incorporation of PTTG into CS significantly improved tensile strength, reaching up to 16.0 ± 2.6 MPa in the CS75PTTG25 formulation. The flexibility also increased to 55.9 ± 6.6 MPa in the simple blend of CS, PTMC copolymer, and N-methyl-D-glucamine. Additionally, the underlying mechanism is presented and thoroughly explained in this work. Consequently, CS/PTTG blend films, derived from biodegradable polymers with excellent mechanical properties, demonstrate potential for various applications.