Recent research progress on preparation and application of N, N, N-trimethyl chitosan.

N,N,N-trimethyl chitosan (TMC) is a quaternized chitosan derivative with excellent solubility in aqueous solutions. It has been extensively studied as an absorption enhancer, antibacterial agent and gene vector due to its ability to form complexes with anionic gels or macromoleculars. However, the research which describes the process of TMC preparation and its new applications has not been fully reviewed. In this paper, recent progress regarding different TMC preparation methods and its characterization and application in different fields is presented. Key findings are compared and summarized and some topics for further study are suggested.