Dispersion of TiO2 Nanotubes in a Chitosan Matrix

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis work presents the synthesis and characterization of TiO2 nanotubes (NTT) with chitosan (CS). In a first stage, electrochemical anodization of titanium foils was used to generate NTT in a membrane-type arrangement. From these experiments, suitable experimental conditions were selected. In a second stage, the synthesized NTT were detached from the titanium foils by sonication. In the third stage, the detached NTT were dispersed in an acid solution containing CS in various concentrations. Finally, the nanotubes-chitosan (NTT/CS) samples were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR). Our results showed that the NTT presented very regular tube morphology with -OH and Ti-O- functional groups on the surface. The interaction of NTT and chitosan was enhanced by increasing the time of contact during the synthesis of the titanium composites.