Abstract
Chitosan‐silica (CSSi) hybrid films have been fabricated by sol‐gel process using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as precursor. The structure of the resulting hybrid has been characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Fracture surface has been revealed through a field emission‐scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectrometer (FE‐SEM/EDS) to probe the dispersion degree and the size of SiO2 particle. Study of morphology using a SEM micrograph and the High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) images of the nanocomposite films suggests that the SiO2 nanoparticles are within the range of 2–7 nm in diameter and are uniformly dispersed in the polymer matrix. Thermal properties of these composite materials have been studied as a function of silica, indicating that thermal stability of the chitosan film is enhanced. Dynamical mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) has been carried out to measure the shift in the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the composites from the maxima of the α transition curves. The glass transition temperature and the storage modulus show an increase with increasing silica content. The maximum increase in the Tg value, that is, 159.37∘C, is seen with 30 wt% silica. A gradual increase of 3.0 GPa in the modulus relative to the pure polymer is observed.
Highlights
Bio-nanohybrid materials are part of an interdisciplinary field between Life Sciences, Material Sciences, and Nanotechnology
Chitosan-based silica hybrids have been prepared by the sol-gel process
Both organic and inorganic phases show increased interfacial interaction which is depicted in the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra
Summary
Bio-nanohybrid materials are part of an interdisciplinary field between Life Sciences, Material Sciences, and Nanotechnology. Organic/inorganic hybrids exhibit characteristics of both organic polymers and ceramics [4, 5] These are produced through sol-gel chemistry [6,7,8] which is a very versatile method allowing incorporation of inorganic component like metal alkoxide namely, Si [9, 10], Ti [11, 12], Zr [13] or even bioactive materials to modify final chemical and physical properties of materials at low processing temperatures. Transparent chitosan-silica (CSSi) hybrid films with various silica contents have been prepared via in situ incorporation of silica by the sol-gel process at room temperature These composites have been characterized for their viscoelastic nature, thermal stability, and optical sensitivity. Their modified morphology has been studied through X-ray mapping and SEM to show the nature of the nanophase silica particles and their homogeneous distribution
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
