Effects of variation of chitosan concentration on the characteristics of membrane cellulose bacteria-chitosan biocomposites as candidates for artificial dura mater

This study was conducted to determine the effect of variation in concentration of chitosan on the physical and biological characteristics of the membrane of bacterial cellulose-chitosan biocomposites through immersion precipitation method. Bacterial cellulose membrane was soaked in a solution of chitosan whose concentration variation are 0.1%; 0.3%; 0.5% and 0.7%. The characterization tests which were conducted included the analysis of functional groups (FTIR), tensile strength test, morphology test (SEM), and cytotoxicity assay using MTT Assay method. Based on the cluster analysis test, the results of FTIR spectra indicate changes in the physical bond which means that there is interaction between the bacterial cellulose membrane with chitosan on each sample. The bacteria produced cellulose membrane with tensile strength of 10.53 ± 0.19 MPa while the microbial cellulose membrane by adding 0.5% chitosan concentration had tensile strength value of 8:58 ± 0.19 MPa. It shows that with the addition of chitosan it would decrease the tensile strength in microbial cellulose membrane. This was shown by 496.2 nm - 2,032 µm pore size with a thickness (mm) of 0:35 ± 0.33 to 0.81 ± 0.26. Based on the test results of the analysis of functional groups, tensile strength test, and morphology test, membrane microbial cellulose-chitosan biocomposites have the potential to be used as artificial dura mater candidate.