The influence of titanium dioxide nanofiller ratio on morphology and surface properties of TiO2/chitosan nanocomposite

Abstract

In the present study, different ratios of TiO2-chitosan nanocomposite (nT-CS) [1:1(nT-CS1), 1:2 (nT-CS2), and 1:5 (nT-CS5)] were prepared by using the method of solution blending. The characterization of the prepared nanocomposite was done through different techniques such as Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and surface area analysis (BET, BJH). The results of FTIR and Raman spectroscopy indicate the appearance and the shifting of main bands of titanium dioxide and chitosan. In addition, the XRD results show shifting of main bands and change in crystal structure of chitosan. The images of AFM and SEM indicate that the TiO2 nanoparticles homogenously distributed throughout the chitosan matrix with an appearance of some agglomeration. The BET analysis indicates that nanocomposite with ratio 1:2 (nT-CS2) had the highest surface area 113 m2/g. Besides that, this ratio showed high adsorption of Direct Violet 51 (DV51) from its aqueous solutions. Keywords: Nanofiller, Chitosan, TiO2, Nanocomposites, Blending solution, Interfacial bonding