Film Materials Based on Polymer Blends of N-Succinyl Chitosan Sodium Salt with Poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone

Abstract— The component interaction and compatibility in polymer blends of N-succinyl chitosan sodium salt with poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone and the influence of the blend composition on the characteristics of films prepared from it were studied by IR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and viscometry. Films with molecular compatibility of the components (poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone content up to 20 wt %) are characterized by higher values of the Young’s modulus and strength compared to films based on individual N-succinyl chitosan sodium salt. The possibility of controlling the sorption properties of the film materials was demonstrated. The highest degree of swelling was observed for films of 50 : 50 wt % poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone–N-succinyl chitosan sodium salt blends; at this weight ratio the components are incompatible. As shown by atomic force microscopy, the films of compositions at which the components are compatible are characterized by higher root-mean-square roughness and larger diversity of the surface structure compared to the films prepared from individual N-succinyl chitosan sodium salt.