Chitosan/polyethylene glycol fumarate blend film: Physical and antibacterial properties

The objective of this work was to prepare chitosan/polyethylene glycol fumarate (chitosan/PEGF) blend films as wound dressings and to evaluate the influence of composition ratio on the blending properties of the films. Blending chitosan with PEGF obviated the brittleness of neat chitosan film. Film topography performed by atomic force microscopy illustrated that blending could increase and control the surface roughness of the neat film. Their water vapor transmission rates were close to the range of 904-1447 g(-2) day(-1) found to be proper candidates for dressing the wounds with moderate exudates. Controlled water solubility, swelling, wettability and surface tension of the blend films were also evaluated. The blend films showed a powerful antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus (Kill% > 99.76 +/- 0.16%). Physical properties as well as antibacterial activity assessments showed that among different compositions, the film comprising 80 wt% chitosan and 20 wt% PEGF is a suitable candidate for biomedical applications as a wound dressing material. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.