Aggregation behavior of N-carboxyethylchitosan in aqueous solution: effects of pH, polymer concentration, and presence of a gemini surfactant Original Research Article

A kind of biocompatible derivative of chitosan, N-carboxyethylchitosan (CECh) with a degree of substitution of 0.21 (DS 0.21) was synthesized by a Michael addition reaction. The aggregation behavior of CECh in aqueous solution under the effects of pH, polymer concentration, as well as a gemini surfactant, was investigated by turbidity, zeta potential, fluorescence spectroscopy, viscosity, and surface tension measurements. In the pH range of 3–11, the macroscopic phase separation of CECh from water occurs near the isoelectric point (IEP) due to the intense electrostatic attraction, and the intermolecular interaction at pH 4 is stronger than that at pH 10 over the whole CECh concentration region. The critical aggregation concentration (CAC) of CECh/12-n-12 (n = 3, 6) in basic media is determined to be between 0.0010 and 0.0015 mmol/L, and the length of the surfactant spacer is found to play an important role in the interaction of 12-n-12 with CECh.