Chitosan (CTS) as natural polymer has several interesting properties including biodegradability, environmental friendliness and useful reactive moieties. However, the solubility in acidic solutions and poor mechanical properties are still the major drawbacks for certain applications including metal extraction and hydrogels. The objective of this work is to improve the stability of chitosan aerogels in acidic solutions via cross-linking with polybenzoxazine and reinforcing by clay (montmorillonite). Main-chain type benzoxazine polymer, MCBP(BA-tepa), as precursor for crosslinking has been synthesized by reacting bisphenol-A, tetraethylenepentamine, and formaldehyde. CTS/MCBP(BA-tepa)/Na-MMT suspensions containing 5 wt% total solid in acidic water were prepared and freeze-dried to form aerogels, followed by gradual thermal treatment for crosslinking. The characteristics of the aerogels were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The cross-linking leads to decrease the hydrophilicity of aerogels with improved dimensional stability under acidic conditions.

Chitosan-based novel hybrid aerogels: Effect of clay and polybenzoxazine on properties of chitosan aerogels

246th National Meeting (2013)

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