Synthesis and characterization of water-soluble dendronized chitosan using newkome-type dendrons

Abstract

With increasing emphasis on environmental care 7 and use of renewable resources, simple and effective dendroniza- 8 tion processes were performed to obtain chitosan derivatives. We 9 present different alternatives for the modification of chitosan: 10 dendronization with a biocompatible dendron; a quaternization 11 process with an ammonium salt, which confers a permanent 12 positive charge to the polymer; and a combination of method- 13 ologies allowing amphiphilic polymers. This process confers 14 unique multivalent properties to the native chitosan, and further 15 modifications reach multivalent water-soluble polymers. Hence, 16 the most important highlight of this work is the use of renewable 17 natural polymers and the different methodologies applied to nontoxic solvents with low temperatures. The process described in 18 this paper represents a sustainable alternative for obtaining a functionalized material with properties suitable for application in 19 different areas, such as biomedicine or environmental remediation.