Water sorption on and water diffusion in chitin and chitosan

The kinetics of the sorption of water vapor on powders of crab-shell chitin and chitosan are studied via the methods of static sorption, thermography, and X-ray structural analysis. Sorption isotherms are obtained in the range of humidity from 10 to 95%. S-Shaped water-sorption isotherms observed for all chitin and chitosan samples are approximated via superpositioning of Langmuir and Flory-Huggins isotherms. The water-polysaccharide interaction parameters and the maximum sorption capacities of water located in chitin and chitosan are determined. The cluster integral is calculated, and the moisture values corresponding to water-cluster formation are determined. The water-diffusion coefficients are determined, and the effective activation energies of water diffusion are estimated: 70 kJ/mol in chitosan and 60 kJ/mol in chitin. The data on the concentration dependences of the coefficients of diffusion of water in the powdered chitin and chitosan are summarized.