Optimization of physical and mechanical properties for chitosan-nanocellulose biocomposites.
Chitosan (CHT) is a biodegradable compound and has excellent performance in forming films; on the other hand, nanocellulose (NCL) crystals have low densities and are less expensive than other nanofillers. A novel and simple method was applied to develop CHT-NCL nanocomposite (NCP) from CHT powder of high molecular weight and NCL particles having two dimensions in nanoscale; a rotor stator and an ultrasound device were used to separate different nanolayers from each other and facilitate their dispersion into polymer matrix. The optimized NCP indicated superior mechanical properties compared with some synthetic films; approximate values of 47% elongation-at-break, 245MPa tensile strength and 4430MPa Young's modulus were achieved. Water vapour permeability (WVP) value of the NCP was at optimal level of 0.23×10(-11) (g/msPa) which was much less than the most biofilms' WVP values. FESEM analyses revealed that high concentrations of CHT and NCL composed inter-connected structures justifying high elongation capability of CHT-NCL NCP.
Department of Food Material and Process Design Engineering, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Beheshti Avenue, Gorgan, Iran.
Danial
D
Dehnad
Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture Engineering and Technology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resource, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.
Zahra
Z
Emam-Djomeh
Department of Food Material and Process Design Engineering, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Beheshti Avenue, Gorgan, Iran.
Habibollah
H
Mirzaei
Department of Food Material and Process Design Engineering, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Beheshti Avenue, Gorgan, Iran. Electronic address: smjafari@gau.ac.ir.
Seid-Mahdi
SM
Jafari
Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture Engineering and Technology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resource, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.
Saeed
S
Dadashi
D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry*; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D005990:Glycerol / Q000737:chemistry*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010539:Permeability; D013227:Steam / Q000032:analysis; D013718:Tensile Strength
D013227:Steam; D002482:Cellulose; D048271:Chitosan; D005990:Glycerol
Biodegradable films; Carbohydrate polymers; Nanoparticle; Plasticizer; Response surface method