Multi-functional carboxylic acids for chitosan scaffold.

In general, CS scaffold is prepared by lyophilizing CS hydrogel which traditionally can be prepared by dissolving CS in acetic acid and crosslinking with dialdehyde. However, this method expresses unpleasant odor and toxicity leading to obstruct the practical applications. Here, the aqueous solution of multi-functional carboxylic acids is considered as the alternative and ordorless solvents to provide dual functions, i.e. (i) protonation of CS for the dissolution, and (ii) providing the preferable structure to give crosslink networks under amide bond through the conjugation reaction. The present work demonstrates the potential use of multi-functional carboxylic acids for preparation of CS scaffold and shows the tunable physicochemical and mechanical properties. The work also extends to the basic studies on biological properties to propose as the potential material for dental tissue engineering.