Optimization of chitosan adhesive properties by means of genipin crosslinking

Chitosan is a polysaccharide resulting from chitin deacetylation. It has demonstrated interesting characteristics in the field of adhesion but loses most of its adhesive resistance in moist environment. A chemical crosslinking of chitosan with genipin has been implemented to improve its adhesive properties in the presence of water. The study of crosslinking kinetics using rheology revealed its dependency on crosslinking rate and chitosan concentration. The capacity of the chitosan-genipin systems for water absorption has been quantified as their Free Swelling Capacity. The cross-linkage of chitosan by genipin (1% w/w) decreased significantly its ability for water absorption. Finally, the adhesive strength of several chitosans be they supplemented or not with genipin and/or glycerol used as plasticizer have been performed on Thick Adherent Shear Test samples of beech wood according to standard EN 204:2016 and EN 205:2016. The chitosan adhesive formulation containing genipin and glycerol exhibits the better adhesive properties on wood and presents higher water resistance compared to the native chitosan formulation.