Synthesis of new chitosan derivatives and combination with biodegradable polymer

Abstract

Abstract New chitosan derivatives are synthesized by the reductive N ‐alkylation reaction of chitosan with various aldehydes, such as 2,4‐dihydroxybenzaldehyde, cholesteryl 4‐formylbenzoate, and N ‐dehydroabietyl‐4‐formylbenzamide. The palladium‐adsorption ability of the newly synthesized derivatives is found to be as good as that of chitosan. A blend of chitosan and other biodegradable polymers is also found to exhibit palladium‐adsorption ability. In comparison to the starting chitosan, the chitosan derivative having dehydroabietyl‐type side chains exhibited an improved solubility in methanol. The chitosan derivatives are successfully applied as plastic coating materials for electroless plating. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.