Properties and sorption studies of chitosan-polyvinyl alcohol blend films

Chitosan-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) blend films were prepared and characterized for mechanical and optical properties. Intermolecular interaction between chitosan-PVA blend was investigated using FTIR. Moisture sorption characteristics of chitosan-PVA blend at 25 degreesC were studied for water activities ranging from 0.11 to 0.92. The moisture content increased with increase in PVA concentration. The moisture sorption data were used to fit eight sorption models and constants were determined by linear fitting. The co-efficient of linear regression (0.98-0.99) and root mean square error values (1.08-15.32) confirmed the best fit for all the models. GAB model was applicable for a wide range of water activity. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.