Effectiveness of silane monomer and gamma radiation on chitosan films and PCL-based composites

Nusrat Sharmin (1) , Ruhul A. Khan (1) , Dominic Dussault (1) , Stéphane Salmieri (1) , Nousin Akter (2) , Monique Lacroix (1)

1 INRS-IAF - Institut Armand Frappier
2 Department of Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Chitosan films were prepared by casting from its 1% (w/w) solution. Tensile strength (TS) and tensile modulus (TM) of chitosan films were found to be 30 MPa and 450 MPa, respectively. Silane monomer (3-aminopropyl tri-methoxysilane) (0.25%, w/w) was added into the chitosan solution (1%, w/w) and films were casted. Then films were exposed to gamma radiation (5-25 kGy) and mechanical properties were investigated. It was found that at 10 kGy, the values of TS and TM were improved significantly. Silane grafted chitosan film reinforced poly(caprolactone) (PCL)-based tri-layer composites were prepared by compression molding. Silane improved interfacial adhesion between chitosan and PCL in composites. Surface of the films was investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and found better morphology for silane grafted films.

Keywords: Chitosan; Poly(caprolactone); Gamma radiation; Silane; Composite

Domains: Infectious diseases

Nusrat Sharmin, Ruhul A. Khan, Dominic Dussault, Stéphane Salmieri, Nousin Akter, et al.. Effectiveness of silane monomer and gamma radiation on chitosan films and PCL-based composites. Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 2011, 81 (8), pp.932-35. ⟨10.1016/j.radphyschem.2011.12.047⟩. ⟨pasteur-01005560⟩