Montmorillonite/graphene oxide/chitosan composite: Synthesis, characterization and properties.

The present work reports the successful preparation, thermal and mechanical characterization of high performance films of Na(+) montmorillonite (MMT)/graphene oxide (GO)/chitosan (CS) composite using simple solution mixing evaporation method. The formations of films were verified by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The thermal stability and mechanical properties of these films were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and mechanical testing (Instron 8871). The results obtained from these studies revealed that the composites of chitosan, MMT, and graphene oxide were homogeneous in nature. A synergistic effect of MMT and GO reinforcing on chitosan matrix was observed for the first time, in case of 5 wt.% MMT and 1 wt.% GO. The tensile strength of (5 wt.%) MMT/(1 wt.%) GO/CS composite was formed 9±0.23% and 27±0.25% higher than that of the (1 wt.%) GO/CS composite and chitosan, respectively.