ForMatter/Materials/biomaterial/Chitosan Film
mat_chitosan_film

Chitosan Film

deacetylated chitin biopolymer film, marine-shellfish-derived · chitosan, deacetylated chitin film, shrimp-shell biopolymer
mediumlast updated 2026-04-27

A biopolymer film made from chitin — the structural polymer in shellfish shells, fungal cell walls, and insect cuticles — after partial removal of acetyl groups. Antibacterial, biodegradable, edible at food-grade purity, and the most-explored marine-shellfish-waste-stream-derived biomaterial of the last decade. Active research subject across packaging, wound-dressing, and food-coating applications.

Linear (1→4)-linked 2-amino-2-deoxy-β-D-glucan derived from chitin (mostly shrimp / crab / krill exoskeleton waste, increasingly mushroom-fermentation routes). Degree of deacetylation ~70–95% for film-grade material. Cast films from acetic-acid solution are tensile 30–60 MPa, modulus 1–3 GPa. Dissolves in mildly acidic aqueous solution; insoluble in water near neutral pH. Antibacterial action against gram-positive and gram-negative organisms documented (mechanism: cell-wall disruption at the chitosan-cell interface).

mechanical

  • tensile_strength_mpa_film50
  • elastic_modulus_gpa_film2
  • elongation_pct_film15
source: Rinaudo, *Chitin and chitosan: properties and applications*, Progress in Polymer Science 2006

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg1.2
  • sourceEditorial estimate from ICE / Granta CES EduPack class databases — industry mean, with cradle-to-gate boundary unless otherwise noted. Embodied carbon for any specific product depends on supplier mix, recycled content, and energy grid; verify against a primary source before using these numbers in a sustainability claim.
  • recyclabilityhigh — biodegradable in soil and seawater (3–6 months)
  • biodegradableTrue
visual
transparent yellow-tinted film
tactile
thin, slightly brittle dry; flexible at moderate humidity

PBR starter values

finish · transparent — open for table, JSON, host snippets, downloads

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere transparent finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material. Or grab the whole library at once: ForMaterials library →

# finish:                   transparent
albedo                      #e8c898
metallic                    0.00
roughness                   0.05
ior                         1.50
transmission                1.00
clearcoat                   0.00
sheen                       0.00
anisotropic                 0.00
thickness                   1.00
attenuation_distance        0.60
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#e8c898",
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.05,
  "ior": 1.5,
  "transmission": 1.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.0,
  "sheen": 0.0,
  "anisotropic": 0.0,
  "thickness": 1.0,
  "attenuation_distance": 0.6
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# Chitosan Film · finish: transparent
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_chitosan_film")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.807, 0.5776, 0.314, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.050
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 1.500
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 1.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value       = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.000
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# Chitosan Film · finish: transparent
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_chitosan_film", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (232, 200, 152))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     0.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.050)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.500)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 1.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.000)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "Chitosan Film \u00b7 finish: transparent",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.807,
    "g": 0.5776,
    "b": 0.314
  },
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.05,
  "ior": 1.5,
  "opacity": 0.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
  "_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}
glTF 2.0 Metallic-Roughness 
{
  "asset": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "generator": "ForMatter"
  },
  "materials": [
    {
      "name": "mat_chitosan_film",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.807,
          0.5776,
          0.314,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 0.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.05
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_transmission": {
          "transmissionFactor": 1.0
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# Chitosan Film · finish: transparent
def Material "mat_chitosan_film" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_chitosan_film/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.807, 0.5776, 0.314)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 0.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.050
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.500
        float   inputs:opacity      = 0.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.000
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
Substitutes
Notpla Seaweed Bioplastic
PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate)

Second life

repairabilityzero — single-use specialty film.
recyclabilityvery high — biodegradable.
disposal pathcompost; biodegradation.
typical longevity2 years (typical)
failure modes
  • intentional biodegradation
  • water-solubility
  • mold-growth

Specialty chitosan-film research literature; medical-device chitosan applications.

Citations