Synthesis and aggregation behavior of <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-succinyl-o-carboxymethylchitosan in aqueous solutions

A simple and novel method was developed to successfully synthesize N-succinyl-O-carboxymethylchitosan (NSOCMCS) using N-acylation of chitosan with succinic anhydride. The NSOCMCS structure was characterized by Fourier transform infrared and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance. The aggregation behaviors of NSOCMCS were studied using fluorescence spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and atomic force microscopy techniques. The critical aggregation concentration of NSOCMCS in water was determined to be 0.2–0.3 mg/ml. The apparent hydrodynamic radium of an NSOCMCS aggregate was dependent on the concentration. The aggregates demonstrated a much swollen association conformation in aqueous solution. The possible aggregation mechanisms for the NSOCMCS in water are discussed. Moreover, a driving force to form an open aggregation morphology was revealed in this study. Aggregation behaviors are important physicochemical properties of NSOCMCS, which impact the potential application in the biomedical field.