Preparação e estudo de filmes automontados de quitosana e carboximetilcelulose sobre substrato de poli(ácido lático)

Abstract

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) films has been used in several different areas such as packaging and for innumerous medical uses. The modification of these films with the goal of providing new features, such as resistance to growth of fungi and bacteria, presents great potential of application. In this work was studied the formation of thin films produced by the self-assembly process known as layer-by-layer (LbL) of two polysaccharides, one cationic and one anionic, respectively, chitosan and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) on PLA substrates. The films were firstly assembled on glass substrate and silicon in order to determine the optimal conditions of deposition. PLA films substrates were used without and with surface modification from ultraviolet light exposure. The purpose of the surface modification was to produce ionizable groups, such as carboxylates, on the film surface of the PLA film to improve the anchoring of the LbL film. It were produced films with 5, 10, 15 and 20 bilayers. The films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, profilometry, infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), quartz microbalance and optical microscopy. The modification of PLA films was monitored by FTIR measurements and contact angle measurements. The uniformity of the LbL films was satisfactory, with increasing roughness of the order of 20 nm at each bilayer. It was observed a linear growth with bilayers increasing at a rate of approximately 80 nm of thickness per bilayer. The process of surface modification of films with UV light was effective, however it was found difficulty in controlling the process, which also causes the degradation of the film. The proposed process for the production of hybrid films PLA/LbL-chitosan/CMC proved to be very effective and promising for PLA functionalization.