Electrosprayed Chitosan Nanospheres-Based Films: Evaluating the Effect of Molecular Weight on Physicochemical Properties

Abstract

This study explores the effect of chitosan molecular weight on the formation of chitosan-based films by electrospraying process. The oxidative pathway was employed in chitosan with 220.1 kDa to obtain samples with 124.5 and 52.7 kDa. Both samples of depolymerized chitosan resulted in spheres within electrosprayed chitosan-based films due to a higher deacetylation degree (~85%). The increase in molecular weight (52.7 to 124.5 kDa) resulted in nanospheres (562 nm) within electrosprayed chitosan-based films, enhancing the surface area-to-volume ratio of the material. The electrospraying process maintained the structural integrity and thermal stability of all chitosan-based films while reducing their crystallinity. These findings highlight the impact of chitosan properties, particularly molecular weight, on the physicochemical characteristics of electrosprayed chitosan-based films. For instance, this work provides insights for the application of electrosprayed chitosan-based films in various fields.