How Molar Mass, Acid Type, and Coagulation Bath Composition Influence Coagulation Kinetics, Mechanical Properties, and Swelling Behavior of Chitosan Filaments: A Full Factorial Approach

In this study, a full multilevel factorial design (2¹ × 3¹ × 2¹) × 2 was conducted to investigate the effects of molar mass of chitosan (CS), the type of acid used for dissolution, and the composition of the coagulation bath on the coagulation, mechanical properties, and swelling of the filaments. The results showed the statistical significance of the factors in the characteristics of these filaments. The coagulation followed Fick's second law of diffusion, with an increase in the chitosan molar mass reducing the coagulation rate, as did the use of acetic acid instead of lactic acid. CS with higher molar mass produced filaments with larger diameters, but without a proportional increase in tensile strength. Swelling was influenced by the acid and composition of the coagulation bath. The interaction of CS with acid and the CS molar mass factor were the terms of greatest statistical significance. Crystallinity was higher for samples dissolved in aqueous solutions of acetic acid and coagulated with ethanol, while lactic acid induced greater structural disorder. Samples coagulated with ethanol presented more homogeneous surfaces, while methanol resulted in rougher filaments. These findings emphasize the critical role of processing conditions in tailoring the properties of CS filaments, providing valuable insights for their optimization for biomedical applications.