Effect of chitosan on the orientation micellar ordering of pluronic F-127 gel phase in an aqueous medium

The effect of chitosan on the orientational micellar association of Pluronic F-127 in an aqueous medium in the range of 4–37$^\circ$С was studied by polarization microscopy and rotational viscometry. It has been established that this amphiphilic copolymer undergoes a phase transition with increasing temperature into a shape-stable hydrogel characterized by optical dichroism and viscosity rheograms with a yield point. The addition of chitosan suppresses the effect of optical anisotropy, affects the gelation time and viscoelastic characteristics of a binary mixture with the implementation of flow curves of dilatant liquids or structured compositions with different levels of micellar ordering. A correlation has been found between the optical texture of the macroscopic gel phase of Pluronic F-127, its mixtures with chitosan, and the viscoelastic properties of the polymer system.