Preparation and characterization of novel curdlan/chitosan blending membranes for antibacterial applications

Antibacterial membranes were prepared from a mixture of hydrolyzed curdlan and chitosan. The elongation-at-break and water vapor transmission rate of curdlan/chitosan blended membranes were substantially improved when the temperature was high (90 °C) due to curdlan gel formation and the interaction between the hydroxyl groups of curdlan and the amino groups of chitosan. This was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The membranes were further investigated for their miscibility between the two components using differential scanning calorimetric measurements, dynamic mechanical analysis, optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. High reaction temperatures (90 °C) and low curdlan contents caused better interactions between components, and allowed membranes to be prepared with higher storage moduli and lower water absorption rates. The 4 bacteria strains were chosen as target bacteria using the optical density method to prove the antibacterial activity of the membranes obtained. The resulting curdlan/chitosan membranes exhibited outstanding antibacterial activity.