This award is for support of a cooperative project by Dr. Samuel M. Hudson, Department of Textile Engineering, Chemistry, and Science at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC, and Dr. Ahmed I. Waly, Textile Research Division at the National Research Center (NRC) in Cairo, Egypt. The objective of this joint research is to study the feasibility of using chitin materials and products for finishing cotton fibers. Chitin is an acetylamino-polysacharide analogous to cellulose in structure and abundance. It is a naturally occurring polymer found in the cuticle of crustacea. A derivative, chitosan, is obtained from chitin by deacetylation using strong alkaline conditions. It is more reactive and useful than chitin by having both the hydroxyl and the amino-groups. It is intended in this project to synthesize reactive chitosan derivatives through introduction of chlorine, epoxy, double bond, or methylol-containing moiety in the molecular structure of chitosan and modified chitosan; it is planned to establish the appropriate conditions for applications to cotton fabrics of these chitosan products either alone or in a mixture with other finishes. Scope: This project will involve two experienced researchers from two institutes for textile research, and with complementary expertise and facilities. The American scientist has considerable experience in dealing with chitosan materials and their various applications in the medical profession and in other areas where toxicity would be a problem. The Egyptian scientist has had experience in modifying these materials to add strength to these fibers especially in wet environment. The successful development and utilization of these chitosan products should help improve the properties of the resulting fibers for general use in textiles, and especially for specific applications such as in medical applications as a biomedical polymer useful in wound dressing, as a hemostatic agent, and in drug delivery systems. This proposal meets INT objective of supporting U.S.-foreign collaboration in areas that have benefits for both sides. This project is being supported under the US-Egypt Joint Fund Program, which provides grants to scientists and engineers in both countries to carry out these cooperative activities.
