title: Morphology and gelation of thermosensitive chitosan hydrogels.
abstract: The morphology of physical hydrogels is often difficult to examine due to the delicate nature of the system and therefore has not been studied in detail. Chitosan/GP (glycerophosphate salt) is a significant hydrogel in the biomedical and cosmetic fields as it is thermosensitive and contains less than 5% polysaccharide. The morphology of this system was examined with laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) to image the gel morphology. The images indicate that the gel is quite heterogeneous, and power spectra reveal a fractal-like morphology. A study of composition found that increasing chitosan concentration increased the amount of polymer-rich phase present in the gel, and that the smallest aggregates decreased in size.
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Monash University, Wellington Rd, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Crompton
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Prankerd
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Paganin
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Horne
authors.forename: D I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Finkelstein
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Forsythe
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D048271:Chitosan / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D005994:Glycerophosphates / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D006358:Hot Temperature; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D005994:Glycerophosphates; D020100:Hydrogels; D048271:Chitosan