Characterization of chitosan composites with synthetic polymers and inorganic additives

In the present study, the results from thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), contact angle measurements, tensile tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) of polymer composites containing chitosan (Ch) and montmorillonite (MMT) with and without poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) are presented. Measurements of the contact angles for diiodomethane (D) and glycerol (G) on the surfaces of chitosan films, Ch/MMT and Ch/PVA/MMT, were made and surface free energies were calculated. It was found that the wettability of the chitosan/MMT or Ch/PVA/MMT composite films decreased relative to the wettability of chitosan. The microstructure of unmodified polymers and their composites, as observed by SEM and AFM, showed particles that are relatively well dispersed in the polymer matrix. The TGA thermograms and mass loss percentages at different decomposition temperatures showed that the thermal stability of the binary composite slightly decreases upon the addition of PVA. The film mechanical properties such as tensile strength, Young's modulus and tensile strain at break depend on the composition and varied non-uniformly. Both composites possessed a tensile strength and Young's modulus of 27.6-94.3MPa and 1.5-3.5GPa, respectively. The addition of PVA to the composite led to a reduction in tensile strength by approximately 40%.