ENHANCEMENT IN THE THERMAL STABILITY OF CHITOSAN/NYLON6 POLYMER BLENDS BY CROSS LINKING

Abstract

Mixing of two or more polymers together to produce blends is a well established strategy for achieving specific combination of physical properties.
Polymer blend films of chitosan and nylon6 were prepared from homogeneous solutions in formic acid at various weight ratios of chitosan and
nylon6. The cross linking agents formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde were incorporated into the polymer blends to improve the properties such as
stiffness, surface hardness, resistance to temperature and resistance to solvent attack. FTIR study revealed that there is intermolecular hydrogen
bonding interactions between the two polymer components. The glass transition temperature and the crystallization of the polymer blends were
investigated on the basis of studies by differential scanning calorimetry. By TGA and DTG experiments, enhancement in the thermal stability of
polymer blends in the presence of cross linking agents was found out.