The Mechanical Properties of Chitosan Membranes

The mechanical properties of chitosan membranes have been investigated as a function of several processing variables. Chitosan, the deacetylated derivative of chitin (N-acetyl-D-glucosamine), was processed from blue crab shells from Virginia. Various chitosans, which had been deacetylated under different conditions, were dissolved in weak acetic acid and then cast into clear, flexible membranes about
50 \mu
m thick. The stress-elongation curves exhibited a fairly constant elastic modulus, a yield point, and a high tensile strength (avg. 135 MPa). The mechanical properties were not greatly affected by the deacetylation procedures investigated here, although a small decrease in yield strength and an increase in elongation were observed at the highest temperature used (
100\deg
C).