Perspective in Using Chitosan Films for Sensors

This paper presents some aspects concerning the possibilities of using chitosan films for sensor development. The proposed approaches consist of the development of the experimental samples using 100% cotton fabrics (plain weave) coated with a conductive paste based on chitosan (low, medium, and high molecular weight) and copper microparticles. Our samples were obtained using the scraping method and free drying (24 h), followed by crosslinking 2-3 minutes at 150-160°C. Surface resistance was investigated using the resistance tester based on two parallel electrodes. The results showed that textile coated with chitosan paste with metallic particle content has a poorly conductive character. Based on the surface resistivity, was calculated the surface conductivity. Using the VCA Optima device was investigated the surface wettability by contact angle to conclude if the samples present a hydrophilic or hydrophobic character. After these tests, we concluded that almost all samples have a hydrophilic character due in large part to the fact that this polymer (chitosan) has hydrophilic nature.