Biopolymeric based-materials: Preparation, Characterization and applications

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to valorize marine by-products (shells) in order to exploit them in various fields. Chitosan was prepared and the ideal conditions for chitin deacetylation are as follows: 50 ml of 60% NaOH for 5g of chitin for 3 hours at a temperature of 120°C. We then fabricated plasticized pure chitosan films using glycerol, polyethylene glycol at both 20% and 40%. The chitosan films were subjected to DMA tensile tests. The results indicate that polyethylene glycol and glycerol significantly improve plasticity to some extent. The amount of plasticizer injected did not lead to the appearance of the anti-plasticization phenomenon. SEM results indicate that there is an effective complexation between chitosan, glycerol and PEG