Preparation of bio-nanocomposites of chitosan/thermoplastic starch reinforced with multiwalled carbon nanotubes

High performance bio-nanocomposites have been developed using crosslinked chitosan and thermoplastic starch along with acid functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNT). The f-MWCNT loading was varied from 0 to 10%. A small amount of Dibutyl maleate has been added as a coupling agent, in order to improve adhesion between the biomaterials. The nanocomposites developed were characterized for flexural, wear, electrical and thermal properties as per ASTM standards. The composites containing f-MWCNTs exhibited enhanced flexural properties when compared with composites without f-MWCNTs. The wear results showed that, with the addition of f-MWCNTs the slide wear loss reduced slightly. The results revealed that, the resistivity of the nanocomposites decreased indicating the increase in conductivity of the nanocomposites.