Pure chitosan films with super water absorbency were successfully
prepared by a ternary solvent system. The optimal process
parameters are: 1% acetic acid water solution: dioxane: DMSO = 90:
2.5: 7.5 (v/v/v) with chitosan concentration at 1.25% (w/v). It
gave evidence that water uptake capacity could be improved by
optimizing physical microstructure. The prepared chitosan films
also exhibited high water uptake capacity in response to external
stimuli such as temperature, pH and salt. Due to its super
water absorbency and nontoxicity, the pure chitosan film could find
potential applications especially in the field of hygienic products
and biomedicine.