Preparation of Zwitterionic β-chitin Nanofibers and Its Application in Pickering Emulsion
In this study,a novel zwitterionic β-chitin nanofiber was developed.Firstly,the partially deacetylated β-chitin was subjected to TEMPO/NaClO2/NaClO oxidation and car-boxyl groups were introduced into its surface,followed by alkali treatment to remove the acetylamino groups on chitin to form amino groups.Finally,after ultrasonic and centrifugal treatment,the zwitterionic β-chitin nanofibers were obtained.The nanofibers can be stably dispersed under acidic and alkaline conditions,which indicates that it has a good stability in a wide pH range.By modulating the degree of charge ionization on the surface of the zwitteri-onic β-chitin nanofibers,the nanofibers showed good emulsification of epoxidized soybean oil under alkaline conditions,demonstrating its potential application as Pickering emulsifier.The development of this novel zwitterionic β-chitin nanofiber is helpful to promote the appli-cation of chitin nanomaterials.