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Chitosan is a biopolymer derived from chitin which is naturally occurring in the exoskeleton of crustaceans. This paper reports dissolution and regeneration of chitosan by directly dissolving in an ionic liquid solvent, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMIMCl). This will provide an ideal platform to solubilise these kinds of polymers to achieve the dissolution. The current study dissolved chitosan from crab shell utilising BMIMCl as a solvent and characterised the resultant regenerated polymer. The regenerated chitosan showed increased hydrogen bonding when characterised by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectral analysis. In addition, the study also compared the characteristics of regenerated and generic chitosan. The regenerated chitosan was also evaluated for antimicrobial properties and showed to possess antibacterial features similar to the commercial grade. This method can be utilised in future for blending of polymers with chitosan in a dissolved phase.

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Electrospraying or electrohydrodynamic spraying is a technique of liquid atomisation by utilising electrical forces. In the electrospraying technique, the liquid at the outlet of a nozzle is subjected to an electrical shear stress by maintaining the nozzle at high electric potential. This produces a fine mist of extremely small and in some cases down to nanometer size droplets. The charge and size of the droplets can be controlled by adjusting the flow rate and voltage applied to the nozzle. Extending the scope of electrospraying, textile substrates can be coated with suitable polymer solution to enhance the surface functionalisation. This paper highlights the deposition of chitosan on wool subtrates using elctrospraying and its potential application in medical textiles.