Preparation and Characterization of Chitosan-Poly-ε-caprolactone based Nanocomposite Blend Films

Blends of chitosan with PCL and clay nanocomposite films were prepared by dispersing the PCL and clay particles in the chitosan solution. Films were characterized for their swelling, water vapor permeability, optical properties and further for mechanical and topological properties using an universal testing machine and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) respectively. The water barrier properties of the films were significantly changed by incorporation of PCL and clay in their composition, while the swelling decreased as the respective concentration increased. The tensile strength of chitosan/PCL/clay films decreased significantly with increasing PCL and clay concentrations, while the values of elongation decreased slightly for high values of chitosan concentration. SEM and FTIR data showed that the lower concentration of PCL and closite blending will be better with chitosan. Overall, our result reveals that PCL and clay particles at only certain ratio gives balanced blending to get low WVTR with better strength for chitosan based nanocomposite films for future food applications.