title: Innovative thermoplastic chitosan obtained by thermo-mechanical mixing with polyol plasticizers.
abstract: Chitosan shows a degradation temperature lower than its melting point, which prevents its development in several applications. One way to overcome this issue is the plasticization of the carbohydrate. In this work plasticized chitosan was prepared by a thermo-mechanical kneading approach. The effects of different non-volatile polyol plasticizers (glycerol, xylitol and sorbitol) were investigated. The microstructure and morphology were determined using FTIR, XRD, TEM and SEM in order to understand the plasticization mechanism. Sorbitol, which is the highest molecular weight polyol used, resulted in plasticized chitosan with the highest thermal, mechanical and rheological properties. On the other hand, the sample plasticized with glycerol, the lowest molecular weight polyol, had the most important amorphous phase content and the lowest thermal, mechanical and rheological properties. Also, when the polyol content increased in the formulation, the plasticized chitosan was more amorphous and consequently its processability easier, while its properties decreased.
authors.affiliation: CREPEC, Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnique Montreal, P.O. Box 6079, Station Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3C 3A7.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matet
authors.forename: Marie-Claude
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Heuzey
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pollet
authors.forename: Abdellah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ajji
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Avérous
mesh_terms: D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry*; D005990:Glycerol / Q000737:chemistry*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D010968:Plasticizers / Q000737:chemistry*; D033362:Powder Diffraction; D012212:Rheology; D013012:Sorbitol / Q000737:chemistry*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013718:Tensile Strength; D013818:Thermogravimetry; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction; D014993:Xylitol / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D010968:Plasticizers; D013012:Sorbitol; D048271:Chitosan; D005990:Glycerol; D014993:Xylitol