Effect of Weak Magnetic Field on the Structure and Physical Properties of Chitosan Membranes

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of weak magnetic fields on the structure and physical properties of chitosan (Ch) membranes. The membranes were prepared by a casting method using chitosan and a solvent of acetic acid. The magnetic field of 1.5 mT is applied during the membrane-forming reaction with administration times of 2, 4, 8, and 12 hours. The membranes formed were named M-2h, M-4h, M-8h, and M-12h, respectively. The chitosan membrane without magnetic fields is used as a control, namely M-0. The structure and physical properties of the membranes were examined using Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectrophotometer, water uptake test, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The result showed that the membranes with magnetic fields are thicker compared to the control membrane. FTIR analysis revealed that some peaks of the membranes with magnetic fields shifted to the higher or lower wavenumber with increased or decreased absorption intensity. The membranes become stronger and more flexible; their degree of crystallinity increases as increasing the time of the magnetic fields' application, and their hydrophilicity improved. The membranes' crystal structure becomes more regular, and their degree of crystallinity increases as increasing the time of the application of the magnetic fields; and their mechanical properties such as ultimate tensile strength, tensile modulus, and elongation at break were improved. Those results explain that the structure and physical properties of chitosan membranes were significantly affected by the membrane-forming reaction's magnetic fields.