Abstract
Cellulose and N-(2-hydroxy)propyl-3-trimethylammonium chitosan chloride (HTCC), a water-soluble chitosan derivative synthesized by the reaction of chitosan and glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride, were blended in solution and the method to prepare blend fibers using them was investigated. Various blend solutions with different HTCC contents (up to 20%) were prepared using 50% N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) aqueous solution as a co-solvent and the cellulose/HTCC blend fibers were obtained via dry-jet/wet spinning process. Some of quaternary ammonium groups in HTCC were lost and converted to primary amino groups during the dissolution and spinning process. The blend solution was brownish and transparent and no phase separation was observed. Moreover, SEM showed that HTCC component was distributed uniformly in cellulose. The blend fibers showed excellent antimicrobial activity even at very low content (1.0%) of HTCC.