Evaluation on Structural Properties and Performances of Graphene Oxide Incorporated into Chitosan/Poly-Lactic Acid Composites: CS/PLA versus CS/PLA-GO

Siti Noor Kamilah Mohamad; Irmawati Ramli; Luqman Chuah Abdullah; Nor Hasimah Mohamed; Md. Saiful Islam; Nor Azowa Ibrahim; Nor Shafizah Ishak

doi:10.3390/polym13111839

Polymers (Jun 2021)

Evaluation on Structural Properties and Performances of Graphene Oxide Incorporated into Chitosan/Poly-Lactic Acid Composites: CS/PLA versus CS/PLA-GO

Siti Noor Kamilah Mohamad,
Irmawati Ramli,
Luqman Chuah Abdullah,
Nor Hasimah Mohamed,
Md. Saiful Islam,
Nor Azowa Ibrahim,
Nor Shafizah Ishak

Affiliations

Siti Noor Kamilah Mohamad: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
Irmawati Ramli: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
Luqman Chuah Abdullah: Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
Nor Hasimah Mohamed: Malaysia Nuclear Agency, Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
Md. Saiful Islam: Department of Chemistry, Bangladesh Army University of Engineering & Technology, Qadirabad, Natore 6431, Bangladesh
Nor Azowa Ibrahim: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
Nor Shafizah Ishak: Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13111839
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 13, no. 11
p. 1839

Abstract

Read online

In this work, to fabricate a novel composite consisting of chitosan/poly-lactic acid doped with graphene oxide (CS/PLA-GO), composites were prepared via solution blending method to create various compositions of CS and PLA (90/10, 70/30 and 50/50CS/PLA-GO). Graphene oxide (GO) was added into a PLA solution prior to blending it with chitosan (CS). The surface morphology and structural properties of synthesized composites were characterized using FT-IR, SEM and XRD analysis. The performances of synthesized composites on thermal strength, mechanical strength, water absorption, and microbial activity were also evaluated through standard testing methods. The morphology of 70/30CS/PLA-GO became smoother with the addition of GO due to enhanced interfacial adhesion between CS, PLA and GO. The presence of GO has also improved the miscibility of CS and PLA and has superior properties compared to CS/PLA composites. Moreover, the addition of GO has boosted the thermal stability of the composite, with a significant enhancement of Td and Tg. The highest Td and Tg were accomplished at 389 °C and 76.88 °C, respectively, for the 70/30CS/PLA-GO composite in comparison to the CS and PLA that recorded Td at 272 °C and 325 °C and Tg at 61 °C and 60 °C, respectively. In addition, as reinforcement, GO provided a significant influence on the tensile strength of composites where the tensile modulus showed remarkable improvement compared to pure CS and CS/PLA composites. Furthermore, CS/PLA-GO composites showed excellent water-barrier properties. Among other compositions, 70/30CS/PLA revealed the greatest decrement in water absorption. From the antibacterial results, it was observed that 90/10CS/PLA-GO and 70/30CS/PLA-GO showed an inhibitory effect and had wide inhibition zones which were 8.0 and 8.5 mm, respectively, against bacteria Bacillus Subtillis B29.

Published in Polymers

ISSN: 2073-4360 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Chemistry: Organic chemistry
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers/

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords