Permeability of vitamin B‐12 in chitosan membranes. Effect of crosslinking and blending with poly(vinyl alcohol) on permeability

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Abstract
The permeability and diffusion of vitamin B‐12 in chitosan, crosslinked chitosans, and chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blends were studied using “lag time” technique. Apparently the diffusion coefficient, D, for both crosslinked and blended chitosan membranes depends solely upon the equilibrium swelling ratio, Q, of the material in water. The functional dependence of D on Q was obtained from the data. The partition coefficients calculated for vitamin B‐12 in all membranes studied were nearly constant (K ≈ 0.4). The results are shown to be consistent with the “pore type” transport mechanism for vitamin B‐12 in these chitosan membranes.