Miscibility of Chitosan and Poly(Ethylene Oxide) in Dilute Solution

Miscibility of chitosan (CHI) with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) was studied in dilute solution by viscometry. Blends with CHI/PEO compositions of 0.1/0.9, 0.2/0.8, and 0.3/0.7 were studied at 25°, 30°, and 35°C, in a buffer solution of 0.1 M acetic acid/0.2 M sodium acetate. Starting with the classical Huggins equation, the results of the viscosity behavior of each parent polymer and their blends were interpreted in terms of miscibility parameters, j k, f , and j b. Miscibility between CHI and PEO was found to increase with weight fraction of PEO and polymer concentration. The existence of H-bonding interaction between CHI and PEO was demonstrated by FTIR spectroscopy.