Preparation and properties of microfibrillated chitin/gelatin composites.

Microfibrillated chitin/gelatin composite films were prepared by solvent casting method, and the nano-sized microfibrillated chitin as reinforce phase to improve oxygen resistance, water-resistant and mechanical performance in this system. The morphologies were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the mechanical properties were investigated by texture analyzer. Oxygen permeability property, optical property and swelling property were investigated. The results indicated that the elastic modulus and tensile strength of microfibrillated chitin/gelatin composite film reached 2.2 GPa and 74.5 MPa respectively when the content of microfibrillated chitin is 8 wt%. The swelling ratio decreased to 11.63 with the 6 wt% content of microfibrillated chitin. In addition, chitin microfibrils effectively enhanced the oxygen resistance of composite film without obvious loss of transmittance. This work expects to provide a pathway to improve gelatin performance.