Novel starch/chitosan blending membrane: Antibacterial, permeable and mechanical properties

Antibacterial membranes were prepared from a mixture of hydrolyzed starch and chitosan. Glycerin was incorporated in the membranes to as plasticizer agent. The effects of component ratio on the mechanical and permeable properties of the prepared membranes were investigated. The elongation-at-break and water vapor transmission rate of starch/chitosan blending membranes were largely improved compared with each single component due to the interaction formed between the hydroxyl groups of starch and the amino ones of chitosan, which was confirmed by FT-IR characterizations. With the help of optical microscope, the influence of component ratio on the morphologies of starch/chitosan membranes was systematically investigated. It comes to a conclusion that extreme low or high starch content will cause an asymmetric membrane surface. To prove the antibacterial activity of obtained membranes, Escherichia coli (E. coli) was chosen as the target bacteria via optical density method. The resulted starch/chitosan membranes exhibited an outstanding antibacterial activity against E. coli.