Properties and structural characterization of chitosan/graphene oxide biocomposites.

Novel chitosan (CS)/graphene oxide (GO) biocomposites (CS/GO-n) in the form of films are prepared in a casting and solvent evaporation method. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffractions (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), tensile testing and moisture uptake are used to study the structure and properties of these biocomposites. The results indicated that the biocomposite containing 0.6 wt% GO exhibits high tensile strength (64.42 MPa) with a large elongation at break (38.80%). GO improved the mechanical properties and the water-resistance of chitosan-based biocomposites.