Chitin Nanofibre Reinforced Thin Chitosan Films for Wound Healing Application

Both chitin and chitosan possess many properties that are advantageous for wound healing like biocompatibility, biodegradability, hemostatic activity, healing acceleration, non-toxicity, adsorption properties and anti infection properties. However, pure chitosan films have poor tensile strength and elasticity. Hence development of high strength composites that are biocompatible and that can help in wound healing may be necessary for wound dressing applications. An attempt has been made to develop a composite film from chitosan by incorporating chitin nanofibres to improve its tensile strength and elasticity. Nanocomposite films were prepared from chitosan by solution casting after incorporating chitin nanofibres as nanofillers. Present study suggests that the tensile strength of the chitosan films can be increased up to a significant level by incorporating chitin nanofibres without appreciable change in water vapor permeability. © Society for Biomaterials and Artificial Organs (India), 20080626-22.