Surface and bulk polarities of thin polymer layers are of great interests in number of applications: separation processes, corrosion protection, controlled drug release or sensorics. Nowadays, the biopolymer films have a great popularity in technologies due to their eco-friendly behavior. Chitosan is a well-known biopolymer that is widely used from the food industry to medicine. Due to its free amino groups, it has pH-responsive properties and can be functionalized relatively easily. Studies in this topic often deal with this system in the form of nanoparticles or hydrogels and rarely as a coating.

Experts of Semilab published study with the aim to prepare hydrophobic chitosan nanocoatings with a non-hygroscopic bulk character. The effect of the modification on the surface was studied by wettability tests and the coating composition across the whole layer thickness was investigated by XPS. The water absorbing studies was carried out by spectroscopic ellipsometry.

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