The current research aimed to develop, synthesize and
characterize a new antibacterial material based on chitosan
with grafted polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains. Our working
hypothesis was that the grafted PEG chains will induce better
homogeneous dispersion of chitosan in plastic bulk material
due to their low melting temperature of around 70 8C. We
report on the synthesis, thermal behavior, and mechanical
properties of the additive and of films compounded with it
and verify that the antibacterial properties of this new
polymer are not hampered, compared to native chitosan.
Antibacterial activity was also demonstrated in the PEGylated
chitosan based film. In addition, we demonstrate that the
chemical modification improves the dispersion of chitosan
particles within polyethylene films.