Studies on the effect of substitution degree on the liquid crystalline behavior of cyanoethyl chitosan

An alkali–chitosan method was employed to prepare cyanoethyl chitosan (CNCS) with different degrees of substitution (DS) from chitosan by controlling the reaction time. The effect of the DS (from 0.36 to 1.21) on the liquid crystalline behaviors of CNCS was investigated. The critical concentration and texture of CNCS liquid crystalline in dichloroacetic acid and formic acid showed no obvious dependence on the DS. However, increase of the DS could enhance the birefringence of liquid crystalline solutions under a polarized microscope, which implied improved liquid crystallinity. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 76: 2057–2061, 2000