Biodegradation Control of Chitosan Materials By Surface Modification With Copolymers of Glycidyl Methacrylate and Alkyl Methacrylates

Abstract Chitosan is one of promising polymer from natural polysaccharides, which is an environmentally friendly compound from renewable raw materials. Chitosan has biodegradability, biocompatibility, and exhibits antimicrobial, antibacterial, and other activities. In this article, we report the first use of copolymers based on glycidyl methacrylate and (fluoro)alkyl methacrylates as material surface wettability modifiers based on a chitosan, and we show that grafting of copolymers allows an increase in the hydrophobicity of films with contact angles up to 114° and up to 154° for aerogels. The resulting chitosan aerogels have high porosity with a pore size of 100–200 µm and the pore walls are 0.6–0.7 µm-thick film formations. Our study of lyophilic properties of modified chitosan substrates showed a change in the hydrophobicity of the materials as a function of length of the hydrocarbon radical in the side groups of (fluoro)alkyl methacrylates in the copolymers. Additionally, the rate of biodegradation of the resulting materials decreased with an increase in the number of hydrophobic groups in the modifier. Obtained chitosan materials with hydrophobic coatings have potential as a protective layer for wound dressings with an extended service life.