Abstract:
The flour obtained from the mesocarp of babassu is a biopolymer produced on a large scale in the North and Northeast of Brazil for food purposes and has been showing favorable properties in biomedical and pharmacological applications. In this work, membranes based on this biopolymer were obtained and the effect of adding glycerol, a plasticizing agent, with concentrations of 20%, 40%, and 60% was evaluated concerning the wettability, morphology, and degree of hydration of the membranes. During the manipulation of the samples, it was observed an increase in the membrane’s flexibility when the glycerol was added. The results from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) show that the membranes processed using the 325 mesh had fewer particles than those processed with 200 mesh. Moreover, an increase in surface roughness was observed as the plasticizer was added. The hydration and wettability degree of the membranes decreased as the concentration of plasticizer increased; however, its hydrophilic profile was preserved. These results suggest that the characteristics of the membranes are interesting for application as wound dressings.