Wet‐spinning and applications of functional fibers based on chitin and chitosan

A series of novel human‐made functional fibers (biofibers) based on chitin and chitosan are prepared by the wet‐spinning and the post chemical modification of chitosan fiber. The wet‐spinning gives rise to a series of biofibers: chitin, chitosan, chitin‐cellulose, chitosan‐cellulose, chitin‐silk fibroin, chitin‐glycosaminoglycans, chitin‐cellulose‐silk fibroin, chitosan‐tropocollagen, and chitin‐cellulose‐silk fibroin. The post chemical modification of chitosan fiber gives rise to a series of chemically modified fibers: N ‐acylchitosans, N ‐arylidene‐ and N ‐alkylidene‐chitosans, N ‐acetylchitosan (chitin)‐tropocollagen, and chitosan‐transition metal complexes. Some of the current and potential applications of these biofibers are described.     

Vibrational relaxation in simulated two-dimensional infrared spectra of two amide modes in solution

Two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy is capable of following the transfer of vibrational energy between modes in real time. We develop a method to include vibrational relaxation in simulations of two-dimensional infrared spectra at finite temperature. The method takes into account the correlated fluctuations that occur in the frequencies of the vibrational states and in the coupling between them as a result of interaction with the environment. The fluctuations influence the two-dimensional infrared line shape and cause vibrational relaxation during the waiting time, which is included using second-order perturbation theory. The method is demonstrated by applying it to the amide-I and amide-II modes in N-methylacetamide in heavy water. Stochastic information on the fluctuations is obtained from a molecular dynamics trajectory, which is converted to time dependent frequencies and couplings with a map from a density functional calculation. Solvent dynamics with the same frequency as the energy gap between the two amide modes lead to efficient relaxation between amide-I and amide-II on a 560 fs time scale. We show that the cross peak intensity in the two-dimensional infrared spectrum provides a good measure for the vibrational relaxation.     

Use of Biopolymers for the Removal of Metal Ion Contaminants from Water

Summary: Naturally abundant biosorbants such as chitin and chitosan are recognized as excellent metal ligands, forming stable complexes with many metal ions, and serving as effective protein coagulating agents. Chitosan is a heteropolymer made of D-glucosamine and a small fraction of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine residues. Therefore, the adsorption ability of chitosan is found to be much higher than that of chitin, which has relatively fewer amino groups. Zeolites are crystalline microporous aluminosilicates with ion exchange properties suitable for a wide range of applications in catalysis and separation of liquid and gaseous mixtures. Incorporation in chitosan membranes is an effective method to control the diffusion outside the zeolite crystals and appropriately designed composite systems can find numerous opportunities for applications in wastewater treatment. In this paper we present the synthesis of zeolite-chitosan and zeolite-ethyl cellulose composites by encapsulation of clinoptilolite using a gelling solution of chitosan or an ethyl cellulose solution in ethyl acetate. The adsorption process of Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺ on some adsorbents was investigated: clinoptillolite tuff (0.05 mm), chitosan flakes, ethyl cellulose, zeolite-chitosan and zeolite- ethyl cellulose composites. Zeolite-chitosan composites have been prepared by encapsulation of zeolites by a gelling solution of chitosan. Micrometric crystals of clinoptillolite were dispersed in a 3% chitosan solution in 1% aqueous acetic acid. The chitosan gel was formed and the zeolite crystals were encapsulated during the gelling process. The same procedure was used to obtain zeolite – ethyl cellulose composites. Study of the metal ion retention properties of different adsorbent materials was carried out using a steady state regime. The concentration of heavy metal ions in supernatant was determined by the atomic absorption spectrophotometric method. Adsorption isotherms of metal ions on adsorbents were determined and correlated with common isotherm equations such as Langmuir and Freundlich models.     

Microbial reclamation of squid pens and shrimp shells

Byproducts generated in high levels by marine processes have been recognized for their value as recyclable or reclaimable waste. Among marine byproducts, shrimp shells, crab shells, and squid pens have the highest chitin content. The chemical treatments of these chitin-containing byproducts for preparing chitin and chitosan create waste disposal problems because neutralization and detoxification of the discharged wastewater are necessary. Therefore, the cost of chitin and chitosan preparations was far higher than those of their raw materials, marine chitin-containing byproducts. Chitin and chitosan have been widely used as the major carbon source of bacteria for producing chitinolytic enzymes. In 1997, the bifunctional chitinase/lysozymes from Pseudomonas aeruginosa K-187 using shrimp and crab shells as the sole carbon/nitrogen (C/N) source was first reported. Thereafter, the use of squid pens as the only C/N source for producing enzymes and bioactive materials had also been studied. The use of shellfish chitin waste as the sole C/N source not only solves environmental problems, it decreases the production costs for microbial conversion. This review summarizes our recent research of microbial reclamation of these marine byproducts for producing enzymes and bioactive materials; the characterization and applications of these products were also studied.     

Effect of hydrolysis on heat capacity, thermodynamic functions, and the relaxation transition of crab chitin and chitosan

The heat capacity of crab chitin and chitosan is measured in a vacuum adiabatic calorimeter at 10–330 K. The thermodynamic characteristics (enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs function) are calculated at T → 0 K to 330 K. Differential thermal analysis is used to calculate the relaxation transitions and thermal degradation of chitin and chitosan at 80–600 K. Acid hydrolysis is performed and its effect on the physicochemical properties and thermodynamic functions of chitin and chitosan is studied.     

Coprecipitation Behavior of Some Metals with Chitosan and Their Determination by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

Chitosan is derived from chitin by deacetylation. Chitosan forms a complex with metal ions and is soluble an organic acid. The metal ions were concentrated in the precipitates of chitosan when the sample solution containing metal ions was adjusted to neutral after the chitosan solution was added. These properties are applied to the preconcentration of metal ions in water samples and their determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Metal ions,such as ruthenium, indium, vanadium, strontium,rhodium were collected in the chitosan precipitates.     

Metal complexes of poly(acrylic acid): synthesis, characterization and thermogravimetric studies

Thermogravimetric studies of the sodium salt of poly(acrylic acid), its modified sodium salt and its various metal complexes were made. The thermal stabilities of the various systems decreased in the order: poly(acrylic acid) > Ni(II) > Co(II) > Zn(II) > Fe(III) > Cu(II) > polymeric sodium salt. The higher thermal stabilities of the polymer-metal complexes result from the development of stable ring structures in the polymer matrix upon coordination with metal ions. The metal-ion complexation of carboxylate ligands of linear poly(acrylic acid), optimization of the complexation conditions and infra-red and ultraviolet-visible spectrometric characterizations are also illustrated.     

壳聚糖与尿素的相互作用及其应用研究进展

尿素能够显著破坏甲壳素/壳聚糖分子氢键结构和疏水相互作用,增加其临界胶束浓度,促进多糖大分子的溶解,并能减少其在溶液中的自聚集现象.碱-尿素水溶液可以作为一种新型的甲壳素/壳聚糖绿色溶剂,有望用于对刺激性要求较为苛刻的食品、生物医学等领域.壳聚糖衍生物特别是其与过渡金属离子的配合物具有良好的尿素吸附功能,可用于尿毒症患者血液中小分子毒物的吸附,对机体刺激性小且不吸附血清蛋白等生物大分子.有望成为血液灌流治疗法中清除尿素等小分子毒性物质的良好吸附剂.壳聚糖还可以作为包膜材料,制备壳聚糖包膜尿素,与普通的包膜尿素相比性能更为优越.     

Chitin and chitosan as chromatographic supports and adsorbents for collection of metal ions from organic and aqueous solutions and sea-water

The rates of adsorption of several metal ions on chitin and chitosan in water and sea-water have been measured; chitin and chitosan are proposed as Chromatographic chelating supports. These natural polymers are also suitable for recovery of trace metals from sea-water.     

An Overview of Modified Chitosan Adsorbents for the Removal of Precious Metals Species from Aqueous Media

This mini-review provides coverage of chitosan-based adsorbents and their modified forms as sustainable solid-phase extraction (SPE) materials for precious metal ions, such as gold species, and their complexes in aqueous media. Modified forms of chitosan-based adsorbents range from surface-functionalized systems to biomaterial composites that contain inorganic or other nanomaterial components. An overview of the SPE conditions such as pH, temperature, contact time, and adsorbent dosage was carried out to outline how these factors affect the efficiency of the sorption process, with an emphasis on gold species. This review provides insight into the structure-property relationships for chitinaceous adsorbents and their metal-ion removal mechanism in aqueous media. Cross-linked chitosan sorbents showed a maximum for Au(III) uptake capacity (600 mg/g), while S-containing cross-linked chitosan display favourable selectivity and uptake capacity with Au(III) species. Compared to industrial adsorbents such as activated carbon, modified chitosan sorbents display favourable uptake of Au(III) species, especially in aqueous media at low pH. In turn, this contribution is intended to catalyze further research directed at the rational design of tailored SPE materials that employ biopolymer scaffolds to yield improved uptake properties of precious metal species in aqueous systems. The controlled removal of gold and precious metal species from aqueous media is highly relevant to sustainable industrial processes and environmental remediation.     

Thermal studies of chitin–chitosan derivatives

New poly(azo) amino-chitosan compounds were obtained from the azo coupling reaction of N-benzyl chitosan and diazonium salts. The thermal behavior of these compounds was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TG), differential thermogravimetric analysis (DTG), TG coupled with a Fourier-transform infrared, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). TG/DTG curves of chitin–chitosan polymer showed two thermal events attributed to water loss and decomposition of the polysaccharide after cross-linking reactions. Thermal analysis of the poly(azo) amino-chitosan compounds showed that the decomposition temperatures decreased when compared to the starting chitin–chitosan and N-benzyl chitosan. DSC results showed an agreement with the TG/DTG analyses. Thermal behavior of poly(azo) amino-chitosans suggest that these compounds could be considered as potential thermal sensors.     

Application of chitosan and its derivatives for solid-phase extraction of metal and metalloid ions: a mini-review

Here we review chitosan-based materials for solid-phase extraction of metal and metalloid ions prior to their determination by atomic absorption spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry, mass spectrometry, and some other spectrometric techniques. We show that nearly zero affinity of chitosan and its derivatives to alkali and alkali-earth metal ions is very beneficial for separation of analytes from the salt matrix, which is always present in natural waters, waste streams, and geological samples and interferes with analytical signals. Applicability of chitosan to selective recovery of different metal and metalloid ions can be significantly improved via functionalization with N-, S-, and O-containing groups imparting chitosan with additional electron donor atoms and capability to form stable five- and six-membered chelate rings with metal ions. Among most promising materials for analytical preconcentration, we discussed chitosan-based composites; carboxyalkyl chitosans; chitosan derivatives containing residues of aminoacids, iminodiacetic acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetic and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acids; chitosans modified with aliphatic and aromatic amines, heterocyclic fragments (pyridyl, imidazole), and crown ethers. We have shown that most chitosan derivatives provide only group selectivity toward metal ions; however, optimization of recovery conditions allows metals and metalloids speciation and efficient separation of noble and transition metal ions.     

Acidic Proteases from Monterey Sardine (Sardinops sagax caerulea) Immobilized on Shrimp Waste Chitin and Chitosan Supports: Searching for a By-product Catalytic System

Solid wastes generated from the seafood industry represent an important environmental pollutant; therefore, utilization of those wastes for the development of processing biochemical tools could be an attractive and clean solution for the seafood industry. This study reports the immobilization of semi-purified acidic proteases from Monterey sardine stomachs onto chitin and chitosan materials extracted from shrimp head waste. Several supports (chitosan beads, chitosan flakes, and partially deacetylated flakes) were activated either with genipin or Na-tripolyphosphate and evaluated as a mean to immobilize acidic proteases. The protein load varied within the 67–91 % range on different supports. The immobilization systems based on chitosan beads achieved the highest protein loads but showed the lowest retained catalytic activities. The best catalytic behavior was obtained using partially deacetylated chitin flakes activated either with genipin or Na-tripolyphosphate. According to results, the immobilization matrix structure, as well as acetylation degree of chitin–chitosan used, has considerable influence on the catalytic behavior of immobilized proteases. Partially deacetylated chitin flakes represent a suitable option as support for enzyme immobilization because its preparation requires fewer steps than other supports. Two abundant seafood by-products were used to obtain a catalytic system with enough proteolytic activity to be considered for biotechnological applications in diverse fields.     

Chemical Modification and some Aligned Composites of Chitosan in a Filament State

The mono‐filaments (> 10 m in length) of chitosan and the blends of chitosan‐collagen, chitin‐collagen and chitin‐silk fibroin were wet‐spun. The mono‐filaments were chemically N‐modified with each of n‐fatty acid anhydrides, intra‐molecular carboxylic anhydrides, fragrant aldehydes and transition metal ions. The mono‐filament was aligned on a straight line with the mono‐filament of silk fibroin or poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), and a bundle of one to three mono‐filaments was coated with a medium of sericin (Se), chitosan or N‐acylchitosan to give rise to novel silk‐mimic filament composites. The filaments coated with a medium of sericin exhibited 26–27 denier for the titer, 2.46–3.36 gf · denier^?1 for the tenacity and 11.8–25.0% for the elongation. The apparent density (denier · μm^?1 in the filament diameter) of the filament composites was about 3–4 times higher than that of the mono‐filaments. Portion of fragrant aldehydes in Schiff's base was slowly hydrolyzed at room temperature by contacting with atmospheric moisture in the open air, and released from the fragrant filaments and composites. The filament composites coated with a chitosan medium were thrombogenic, and those coated with N‐acylchitosans were antithrombogenic.

An illustrated model for a silk‐mimic filament composite, N₀(N₂I‐FI).     

Evaluation of photoinduced changes in stability constants for metal-ion complexes of crowned spirobenzopyran derivatives by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The photoinduced changes of metal-ion complexing ability of crowned spirobenzopyran derivatives were studied by using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Stability constants for the complexation with various metal ions in methanol under visible-irradiation conditions were determined for the first time by ESI-MS. It was found that the stability constants of crowned bis(spirobenzopyran) derivatives with metal ions are decreased dramatically by visible irradiation due to the disappearance of powerful ionic interaction between phenolate anion(s) of the merocyanine form of their spirobenzopyran moiety and a metal ion bound to their crown ether moiety, and the decrease in the stability constants is more pronounced for the multivalent metal-ion complexes. A theoretical consideration was also made to attain reliable values of stability complexes for metal-ion complexes of crown compounds.     

Chromened t-butylcalix[4]arenes: cooperation effect of chromene and calixarene moieties on photochromism and metal-ion binding ability

Novel t-butylcalix[4]arenes bearing several chromene molecules were synthesized, and their photochromism and metal-ion binding ability were examined with alkali and alkaline-earth metal ions. While the metal-ion binding ability of the t-butylcalix[4]arene moiety facilitated the photoisomerization of the chromene moiety to a great extent, the chromene moiety influenced the metal-ion binding ability of the t-butylcalix[4]arene moiety through lariat effect. Therefore, the metal-ion that induced the most facilitated photoisomerization of the chromene moiety was shifted drastically from Li⁺ to Ba²⁺ with the increase of the incorporated chromene number. Even without metal ions, the interaction among the chromene moieties derived from the cone-conformation of the t-butylcalix[4]arene moiety also facilitated the photoisomerization.     

In vitro antibacterial and antifungal assay of poly‐(ethylene oxamide‐N,N′‐diacetate) and its polymer–metal complexes

A new polyester, poly‐(ethylene oxamide‐N,N′‐diacetate) (PEODA), containing glycine moiety was synthesized by the reaction of oxamide‐N,N′‐diacetic acid and ethylene glycol and its polymer–metal complexes were synthesized with transition metal ions. The monomer oxamide‐N,N′‐diacetic acid was prepared by the reaction of glycine and diethyl oxalate. The polymer and its metal complexes were characterized by elemental analysis and other spectroscopic techniques. The in vitro antibacterial activities of all the synthesized polymers were investigated against some bacteria and fungi. The analytical data revealed that the coordination polymers of Mn(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) are coordinated with two water molecules, which are further supported by FTIR spectra and TGA data. The polymer–metal complexes showed excellent antibacterial activities against both types of microorganisms; the polymeric ligand was also found to be effective but less so than the polymer–metal complexes. On the basis of the antimicrobial behavior, these polymers may be used as antifungal and antifouling coating materials in fields like life‐saving medical devices and the bottoms of ships. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

甲壳素和壳聚糖化学改性研究进展

甲壳素是一种天然多糖,脱除乙酰基的产物是壳聚糖,作为新型功能生物材料,它们已在水处理、日用化学品、生物工程和医药等领域得到了应用,但它们不溶于一般的有机溶剂,从而限制了其广泛应用.为此,甲壳素和壳聚糖的化学改性成为该材科研究的重要方向之一.本文综述了近年来甲壳素和壳聚糖化学改性方面的研究进展,着重介绍了选择性化学修饰的方法和发展动向.     

Extraction of metal ions by N-phenyl-, N-methyl-, and N-unsubstituted hydroxamic acid resins

Procedures are described for preparing macroreticular chelating resins with hydroxamic acid or N-methylhydroxamic acid functional groups. The chelating properties of the resins are compared with each other and with an N-phenylhydroxamic acid resin reported earlier. The extraction of 19 metal ions was studied as a function of pH for the N-methylhydroxamic acid resin. Several analytical applications of this resin have been demonstrated including the purification of chemical reagents, concentration of trace metal ions, and chromatographic separation of metal-ion mixtures.     

Enhancing adsorption of heavy metal ions onto biobased nanofibers from waste pulp residues for application in wastewater treatment

Biobased nanofibers are increasingly considered in purification technologies due to their high mechanical properties, high specific surface area, versatile surface chemistry and natural abundance. In this work, cellulose and chitin nanofibers functionalized with carboxylate entities have been prepared from pulp residue (i.e., a waste product from the pulp and paper production) and crab shells, respectively, by chemically modifying the initial raw materials with the 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO) mediated oxidation reaction followed by mechanical disintegration. A thorough investigation has first been carried out in order to evaluate the copper(II) adsorption capacity of the oxidized nanofibers. UV spectrophotometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and wavelength dispersive X-rays analysis have been employed as characterization tools for this purpose. Pristine nanofibers presented a relatively low content of negative charges on their surface thus adsorbing a low amount of copper(II). The copper adsorption capacity of the nanofibers was enhanced due to the oxidation treatment since the carboxylate groups introduced on the nanofibers surface constituted negative sites for electrostatic attraction of copper ions (Cu²⁺). The increase in copper adsorption on the nanofibers correlated both with the pH and carboxylate content and reached maximum values of 135 and 55 mg g^?1 for highly oxidized cellulose and chitin nanofibers, respectively. Furthermore, the metal ions could be easily removed from the contaminated nanofibers through a washing procedure in acidic water. Finally, the adsorption capacity of oxidized cellulose nanofibers for other metal ions, such as nickel(II), chromium(III) and zinc(II), was also demonstrated. We conclude that TEMPO oxidized biobased nanofibers from waste resources represent an inexpensive and efficient alternative to classical sorbents for heavy metal ions removal from contaminated water.