Characterization of chitosan composites with various clays

The structural properties, thermal behaviour and mechanical properties of composites of chitosan (Ch) with nanoclay (montmorillonite, MMT) and/or nanoclays after surface modification have been characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and a tensile tests. The microstructure obtained by SEM and AFM microscopy for unmodified chitosan and its composites showed that particles are relatively well dispersed in the chitosan matrix. However, the increasing concentration of the chitosan solution from 1% to 2% decreases the homogeneity of the surface of the composites. In the case of chitosan composite with modified nanoclay (contains 25-30 wt.% of octadecylamine), the lack of particles aggregates in polymer matrix independent of the concentration of chitosan solution was observed. Generally, addition of nanoclay after its surface modification improved the mechanical and thermal properties of the composite much more than montmorillonite without modification.