Gel-Phase Synthesis and pH-Sensitive Swelling-Structure Relationships of N-Carboxyethylchitosan
Full article
| Journal |
Eurasian Journal of Chemistry
ISSN: 2959-0663
|
| Output data |
Year: 2025,
Volume: 30,
Number: 2(118),
Pages: 19–33
Pages count
: 15
DOI:
10.31489/2959-0663/2-25-6
|
| Tags |
Carboxyethylchitosan, biopolymer, gel phase synthesis, derivatization, Michael reaction, pH-sensitive swelling, porosity, green chemistry |
| Authors |
Dubovskaia Polina I.
1
,
Saeidi Arsalan
1,2
,
Pronchenko Anna A.
1
,
Drannikova Anastasiia I.
1
,
Lukoyanov Ivan A.
1,3
,
Aripova Farida K.
1,4
,
Savenko Mariia E.
1
,
Veretennikova Elizaveta A.
5
,
Pestov Alexander V.
5
,
Litvinova Ekaterina A.
1
,
Drannikov Aleksandr A.
1
|
| Affiliations |
| 1 |
Novosibirsk State Technical University, Novosibirsk, Russia
|
| 2 |
Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
|
| 3 |
Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
|
| 4 |
Novosibirsk State Agrarian University, Novosibirsk, Russia
|
| 5 |
I. Ya. Postovsky Institute of Organic Synthesis, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russia
|
|
Funding (1)
|
1
|
Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation
|
Приоритет 2030
|
The applicability of native chitosan-based compositions is constrained by their limited solubility in weakly alkaline and neutral media, a consequence of inherent structural features. To overcome this limitation, carboxyalkylation strategies such as the gel-phase Michael synthesis of N-carboxyethylchitosan (N-CEC) were investigated with a focus on optimizing reaction parameters to enhance yield and tailor biopolymer properties. Structural confirmation of the synthesized polymers was performed via FT-IR and SEM, while elemental analysis quantified the degree of substitution (DS), which correlated with temperature in the following way: DS = 0.96–1.10 at 50 °C, 1.07–1.12 at 60 °C and 1.16–1.32 at 70 °C. Porosity measurements indicated pore sizes ranging from 50 to 200 µm in all samples; however, total porosity varied significantly, reaching a maximum of 15 % at 70 °C and decreasing to 4–10 % at lower temperatures. N-CEC exhibited pH‑dependent swelling, with minimal expansion (100–150 %) at low pH and a 2–3-fold increase at pH > 7, which was attributed to COO⁻ group formation. These findings position N-CEC as a promising material for pH-responsive applications.