Hydrophobization of hydrophilic alginate/chitosan PEC surfaces

Alginate and chitosan are biocompatible polysaccharides that are often combined as polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) for the development of biomaterials. These PECs are interesting as wound dressings, among other uses. The properties of such devices depend on their surface characteristics, however. Herein we propose a method to hydrophobize highly hydrophilic alginate/chitosan PECs by initial chemical grafting of polycaprolactone (PCL) or polylactic acid, using hexane diamine or ethylenediamine as linkers, followed by a drop casting covering step. This resulted in increased adhesion between the hydrophobic layer and the PEC, when compared to direct casting. The materials obtained were evaluated as potential biomaterials by analyzing the hydrophilic properties of their surface, swelling, enzymatic degradation, and impermeability. The results revealed that hydrophobization was effective but decreased the swelling abilities of PECs, which still remained interesting (similar to 1000%) for wound dressing applications. However, the PCL layer was not resistant to the enzymatic environment, while PLA showed impermeabilization of the PECs.

Automated summary

The study explores a method of hydrophobizing alginate/chitosan PECs to enhance their applicability, revealing that the hydrophobization treatment is effective but reduces the swelling abilities of PECs. The research found that the PCL layer is not resistant to the enzymatic environment, while PLA provides impermeability to the PECs.