This work mentions the effect of polyethylene oxide (PEO) content on some characteristics and properties of polylactic acid (PLA)/chitosan (CS) films loading nifedipine (NIF). The films were prepared by solution method with various PEO content in the range of 0 to 10 wt% in comparison with total weight of both PLA and CS. The water contact angle, droplet size values and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) images of the films were used to investigate their morphology and hydrophobicity. | Vietnam Journal of Science and Technology 55 (6) (2017) 716-724 DOI: INFLUENCE OF POLYETHYLENE OXIDE CONTENT ON SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF PLA/CS FILMS LOADING NIFEDIPINE Nguyen Thuy Chinh*, Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, Tran Thi Mai, Do Van Cong, Mai Duc Huynh, Tran Huu Trung, Vu Viet Thang, Thai Hoang, Nguyen Vu Giang Institute for Tropical Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, No 18, Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Ha Noi, Viet Nam * Email: ntchinh@ or thuychinhhn@ Received: 10 April 2017; Accepted for publication: 1 October 2017 Abstract. This work mentions the effect of polyethylene oxide (PEO) content on some characteristics and properties of polylactic acid (PLA)/chitosan (CS) films loading nifedipine (NIF). The films were prepared by solution method with various PEO content in the range of 0 to 10 wt% in comparison with total weight of both PLA and CS. The water contact angle, droplet size values and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) images of the films were used to investigate their morphology and hydrophobicity. The obtained results show that the hydrophobic property of the PLA/CS/NIF films is improved by the presence of PEO. Besides, the PLA/CS/NIF films containing PEO have tighter structure and water absorbed ability less than those of the PLA/CS/NIF films. The FESEM images of PLA/CS/NIF films with and without PEO before and after 28 hours of drug release testing indicated that NIF were released from these films. The PLA/CS/NIF films with and without PEO are hydrolyzed with weight loss from to % corresponding to 2 to 28 days of immersing in pH solution, respectively. Keywords: polyethylene oxide, compatibility, nifedipine, PLA/CS, hydrolysis. 1. INTRODUCTION Poly lactic acid (PLA) is one of popular biopolymers because it has biodegradation ability and can be recycled under the effect of enzymes and microorganisms. As one of environmentally friendly polymers, PLA is .
