Temperature sensitive self-assembling hydroxybutyl chitosan nanoparticles with cationic enhancement effect for multi-functional applications

Hydroxybutyl chitosan (HBC) with different degree of substitution (DS) were prepared using a homogeneous reaction system (KOH/urea), which could achieve temperature-dependent reversible morphological transition in aqueous solution. During hydrophobic assembly, amino groups on HBC chains exposed on the surface of nanoparticles formed a poly-cationic structure. The structure of HBCs was characterized by FTIR, 13C NMR, XRD, TGA and rheology. The...