Enhancement of Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Polycaprolactone/Chitosan Blend by Calcium Carbonate Nanoparticles

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Sanaz Abdolmohammadi²  Samira Siyamak²  Nor Azowa Ibrahim²  Wan Md Zin Wan Yunus¹  Mohamad Zaki Ab Rahman²  Susan Azizi² 

[1]Department of Chemistry, Centre For Defence Foundation Studies, National Defence University of Malaysia, Sungai Besi Camp, 57000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

[2] E-Mail:

[3]Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

[4] E-Mails:

关键词: nanocomposites;    calcium carbonate nanoparticles;    polycaprolactone;    chitosan;    mechanical properties;    thermal properties;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms13044508

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

This study investigates the effects of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) nanoparticles on the mechanical and thermal properties and surface morphology of polycaprolactone (PCL)/chitosan nanocomposites. The nanocomposites of PCL/chitosan/CaCO₃ were prepared using a melt blending technique. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results indicate the average size of nanoparticles to be approximately 62 nm. Tensile measurement results show an increase in the tensile modulus with CaCO₃ nanoparticle loading. Tensile strength and elongation at break show gradual improvement with the addition of up to 1 wt% of nano-sized CaCO₃. Decreasing performance of these properties is observed for loading of more than 1 wt% of nano-sized CaCO₃. The thermal stability was best enhanced at 1 wt% of CaCO₃ nanoparticle loading. The fractured surface morphology of the PCL/chitosan blend becomes more stretched and homogeneous in PCL/chitosan/CaCO₃ nanocomposite. TEM micrograph displays good dispersion of CaCO₃ at lower nanoparticle loading within the matrix.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2012 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland.