Nanostructured chitosan–surfactant matrices as polyphenols nanocapsules template with zero order release kinetics

Nanostructured membranes and films of cationic surfactant–chitosan with tannic acid as polyphenol model were obtained by phase inversion method. The membranes were investigated by Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform InfraRred, X-Ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Thermogravimetry, and the films topography was analysed by Atomic Force Microscopy. The analysis reveals that the interactions at the molecular level between cationic CTAB surfactant and cationic chitosan polymer strive to weaken membrane stability, whereas, the tannic acid is favoured to cluster with CTAB and diminish the membrane thermodynamic instability. The nanocapsules formed, with dimensions in the range of 16.35–27.68 nm, are congregating in clusters having dimensions in the domain of 50–300 nm. The layers resulted from these nanostructures arrangement constitute a surfactant–chitosan matrix with tannic acid suitable for drug controlled release with zero order kinetics.