EN
The surface properties of chitosan acetate (ChA), polyacrylamide (PAM) and ChA/PAM mixtures
have been investigated by the tapping-mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) and monitored by
contact angle measurements. Chitosan is blended with polyacrylamide in acetic acid solution
and this solution is cast to prepare the mixture film. Measurements of the contact angle for two
different liquids (diiodomethane and glycerol) on the surface of chitosan acetate. The surface
free energy (γs) as well as dispersive (gsd) and polar (gsp) components were calculated from
contact angle values by Owens-Wendt methods using an appropriate computer program. The
values of polar and dispersive components of surface free energy show that PAM films are
more polar than chitosan acetate films. In the case of ChA/PAM mixtures, the values of surface
free energy and polar component are reduced significantly compared with pure polymers. This
behavior indicates rather hydrophobic character of this surface. The changes of topography
images were considered by determining the root mean square (RMS) deviation in the image data.
The study of blends by AFM showed a completely different morphology when compared with
pure components. The roughness of blends increases with the increase of ChA content. This may
indicates a strong interaction between the polymeric components.