No abstract

Two compounds of stearoyl chitosan; degree of substitution (DS) 79% and DS 86%, were synthesized by using the starting material as chitosan and deacetylated chitosan respectively. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1 H NMR) spectroscopy were used to confirm the chemical structure of prepared products. The thermal stability of stearoyl chitosan decreased with increased DS while the DO (degree of order) increased with increased DS. The 2% (w/v) stearoyl chitosan (DS 86%) solutions displayed shear thinning behavior. Also, the shear stress and viscosity values were higher for stearoyl chitosan dissolved in pyridine than in toluene at the same shear rate. Since 2% stearoyl chitosan dissolved in pyridine had high viscosity with shear thinning property, it can be suitable as rheology modifiers.