Abstract
Chitosan flakes (CF) were modified to chitosan nanopowder (CP), using planetary ball milling for 8 h. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) revealed and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) confirmed the nano size of CP. Least gelation capacity (LGC) of CF (3%) and CP (4%) was manipulated to fabricate gels with 1.5, 2, and 3 fold increase in LGC. The total color difference was higher in CP than CF gels and depended on concentration. Dynamic rheometry under temperature ramping (20–80 °C and 80-20 °C) showed stable viscoelasticity. Besides, optimal structural network was observed in CP8 and CF6. During temperature ramping, the damping factor (tan δ) for all the gels was >0.1 < 1, which confirmed the elastic behavior of the gels. Power law model revealed maximum shear thinning behavior in CP8 and CF6. Rapid increase in temperature of gels during thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and high temperature differential scanning calorimetry (HDSC) revealed more thermal stability in CP than CF gels. The interconnecting gap of polymer gel matrix revealed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was higher in CF than in CP gels. In conclusion, the CP gels have comparable rheology but better thermal and matrix properties that could be explored for food and pharmaceutical applications.
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