Electrostatic atomization of chitosan

摘要

Chitosan is prepared by the deacetylation of the polysaccharide chitin, which is found in the shells of sea creatures and the cell walls of fungi [1]. It is a material which has several applications in medicine and its allied disciplines [2]. One such use of chitosan, identified almost four decades ago, is in the preparation of wound dressings, which are effective in promoting accelerated healing [3]. Other uses involve the helping of weight control [4] and in the preparation of antimicrobial food packaging [5]. In this letter we describe the processing of chitosan (water soluble grade having a molecular weight of 20000 - 50000, supplied by Gold-Shell Technologies Inc, Seoul, Korea) using a novel route, to generate fine droplets < 50 μm and to prepare films ～ 50 * 10~(-3) m diameter and ～ 100 μm thick.