Modification of the air-water interface by a chitosan adsorption process. Effect on an amphiphilic polymer monolayer

Monolayer formation by poly[(maleic anhydride)-alt-(stearyl methacrylate)] (MA-alt-StM) on aqueous subphases, with and without chitosan, was studied by the Langmuir technique. Chitosan (CS) modified considerably the shape of the MA-alt-StM isotherms on water. To explain this behavior, the surface activity properties of chitosan at the air-solution interface were studied. The variations of the interfacial tension, γ_int with chitosan concentration and temperature, were also determined. The results were discussed in terms of the modification of the air-water interface owing to the presence of chitosan in the subphase and the surface activity. It was found that the standard free energy of adsorption, ΔG_ads⁰, values were dependent on the degree of acetylation (DA) over the DA range being studied.