Effect of acetylation on the properties of chitosan wound dressings

Chitosan fibers with different degrees of acetylation can be prepared by controlling the ratio between acetic anhydride and the fiber.This paper studied the absorption and antimicrobial properties as well as the tensile strength of the acetylated chitosan fibers and wound dressings thereof.The results showed that the properties of chitosan wound dressings were affected by the degree of acetylation.The partially acetylated chitosan fibers can absorb a large quantity of water into the fiber structure when in contact with water,making the partially acetylated chitosan dressing more absorbent than the original dressing.The wet strength and the antimicrobial properties of the partially acetylated samples were poorer than the original untreated samples.