Synthesis of chitosan hydrochloride salt, hydrogel preparation and characterizations

Chitin is the most abundant polymer in nature after cellulose. Although it is found in nature so much, its usage areas are limited due to the use of toxic chemicals as solvents and their very low applicability. Chitosan, which is formed as a result of deacetylation of chitin, dissolves easily in dilute solutions of weak acids and is cationic in solution. Thus, it can easily react with many components. Chitosan and its derivatives are often used as nanocarriers for oral administration for biopharmaceuticals. It is well known that chitosan is a potent absorption enhancer with properties suitable for increasing the bioavailability of poorly absorbed drugs and is a protective agent that protects the active ingredients before they reach the small intestine. In the studies in the literature, the importance of the use of chitosan chloride, which is one of the chitosan derivatives, as a biocompatible and biodegradable biomaterial has been emphasized. It is aimed to synthesize hydrogel by using physical and chemical crosslinkers for hydrogel synthesis from chitosan chloride and to determine the properties of the synthesized hydrogels by various characterization tests.