Preparation and Characterization of Thermoplastic Grafted Chitosan Compositions with L-Lactide as Potential Material for 3D Printing

Chitosan is a natural polysaccharide with excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability, which makes it a promising biomaterial for various biomedical applications. However, its mediocre mechanical characteristics and non-thermoplasticity limit its wider use, since it cannot be melted, which means it cannot be used in 3D printing. In this study, the focus was to overcome this limitation by successfully synthesizing a grafted copolymer of chitosan and L-lactide through a ring-opening polymerization. The resulting copolymer showed melting ability with a melt index of 5 and satisfactory mechanical properties with a tensile strength of 68.3 MPa, which indicates the potential of the copolymer for structural applications. The thermal properties of the copolymer were studied by the differential scanning calorimetry method. In vitro studies indicate that the copolymer is non-toxic to cells and promotes adhesion and proliferation of fibroblasts. The wettability of the copolymer surface was also improved compared to pure polylactide, which increased its cell adhesion for fibroblasts. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential of the grafted chitosan/polylactide copolymer as a biomaterial for biomedical applications.