Thermomechanical Properties of Poly(ethylene oxide)/Nanochitin Nanocomposite Prepared by Mechanical Method

Because of wide applications of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) in various areas such as chemical, electrical and pharmaceutical industries, researchers have been focused to develop and improve the properties of this interesting polymer. To improve the mechanical and thermal properties of PEO some research works have been done. One way to improve the properties of this polymer is to add natural nanoparticles and producing the corresponding nanocomposites. In this research, a poly(ethylene oxide)/chitin nanofibrils (CFNs) nanocomposite was prepared at different CNFs loadings, and the effect of nanochitin on the properties of nanocomposite was investigated by different techniques. Nanochitin was prepared using a 1 wt% chitin suspension in water by a mechanical super-grinder, and the SEM images showed an average 50 nm diameter for the fibers obtained. Poly(ethylene oxide)/nanochitin (PEO/NFC) nanocomposites having 1, 3 and 5 wt% NFC were prepared via solution casting method using water as solvent. The dynamical mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results showed that the storage modulus and degradation temperature of the nanocomposites increased with NFC loading. The SEM images showed a considerable difference in the morphology of specimens. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed a remarkable reduction in crystallinity of the semi-crystalline PEO. The results of X-ray diffraction tests showed that at low loadings of nanochitin there was no peak in XRD diffractograms. The TGA results showed that with the addition of nanochitin to poly(ethylene oxide) the degradation temperature increased. The DMTA results showed an increase in the storage modulus (G') of the nanocomposites by increasing nanochitin loading. The maximum improvement in thermal and mechanical properties was observed at 5 wt% CFN loading.