Abstract
The structure and properties of different biopolymer composites based on chitosan and chitosan/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) are governed by multiple structure-property relationships associated with different phase interactions. Plasticization of these matrices with ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([C2mim][OAc]) played a dominant role, increasing the mobility of biopolymer chains as well as ions and associated dipoles but reducing biopolymer chain interactions, crystallinity, and thermal stability. These structural changes led to higher matrix ionic conductivity, shorter electrical relaxation time, and greater matrix ductility. The inclusion of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced GO (rGO) also influenced the structure and properties of these bionanocomposites by disrupting the biopolymer hydrogen bonding and/or polyelectrolyte complexation (PEC) and interacting with [C2mim][OAc]. The impact of GO/rGO was more evident for 20 wt % [C2mim][OAc], such as increased crystallinity and thermal stability of chitosan. PEC was hindered with excess (40 wt %) [C2mim][OAc] added and further hindered again when rGO was included. This study shows that the structure and properties of bionanocomposites are not just determined by the surface chemistry of GO/rGO but can also be influenced by multiple interactions involving plasticizers such as ILs and additional biopolymers.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 19070-19081 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | ACS OMEGA |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue number | 30 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 4 Aug 2020 |
Funding
The authors acknowledge funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 798225. P.C. acknowledges the financial support from the China Scholarship Council (CSC) for her visiting position and thanks IINM, WMG, University of Warwick, U.K., for hosting her research visit. F.X. also acknowledges support from the Guangxi Key Laboratory for Polysaccharide Materials and Modification, Guangxi University for Nationalities, China (grant no. GXPSMM18ZD-02).
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Guangxi Key Laboratory for Polysaccharide Materials and Modification | |
| H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions | |
| Horizon 2020 Framework Programme | 798225 |
| University of Warwick | |
| China Scholarship Council | |
| Guangxi University for Nationalities | GXPSMM18ZD-02 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Chemistry
- General Chemical Engineering