Chitin is one of the most abundant biopolymers in nature and the second most abundant semicrystalline polysaccharide after cellulose. Chitin appears in nature as fibrils constituted by crystalline and amorphous zones that can be hydrolyzed by acid hydrolysis to isolate stiff crystalline nanorods referred to as chitin nanocrystals (ChNC) very similar to the so-called cellulose whiskers or cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). Like cellulose, chitin is an homopolymer of glucose, but it presents N-acetyl groups in C2 promoting an hydrophobic character. Furthermore, these groups can be partially deacetylated leading to amino groups in surface. As a result, these nanorods are hydrophilic materials and constitute a versatile multifunctional platform that offers the opportunity to interact via electrostatic, Hydrogen or van der Waals forces. Moreover, they present high-aspect-ratio and crystalline organization inducing anisotropic distribution of functional groups on the crystalline faces. The electrostatic interactions have been widely studied but chitin appears an astonishing candidate as well for non-electrostatic interactions. We used these latter characteristics to elaborate biobased materials.It is demonstrated that some interfacial properties involving hydrophobic interfaces take place by two ways. ChCNs are able to stabilize efficiently an oil/water interface leading to the so-called Pickering emulsions similar to those performed with CNC [1]. Also specific interactions with xyloglucan (XG), a neutral polysaccharide, have been demonstrated by the adsorption of XG on ChNC surface using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) and by building-up spin-coated assisted layer-by-layer (LbL) structures [2]. [1] Kalashnikova, I.; Bizot, H.; Cathala, B.; Capron, I., �Modulation of Cellulose Nanocrystals Amphiphilic Properties to Stabilize Oil/Water Interface.� Biomacromolecules 2012, 13, (1), 267-275.[2] Villares A., Moreau C., Capron I., and Cathala B. �Chitin Nanocrystal-Xyloglucan Multilayer Thin Films� submitted.

Chitin nanocrystals, an anisotropic colloid for multiple interfacial interactions

247th National Meeting (2014)

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