Improvement in the dispersion of TiO2 particles inside Chitosan-Methyl cellulose films by the use of silane coupling agent

Abstract

This work is focused on obtaining composite films based on biopolymer of chitosan and on TiO2 superficially modified through a silanization method, using (3-aminopropyl)-trimethoxysilane (APTMS). This method helped solve specific problems of titanium dioxide, such as the formation of agglomerates, since modified films have a better dispersion. The inclusion of particles in the biopolymer films helped to improve color properties, obtaining luminescence results up to 20% higher than the unmodified particles, which indicates a better dispersion of particles. In addition, there were improvements in the electrostatic repulsion, studied as Z potential, with values of 10 mV for TiO2 and 27 mV for S-TiO2. Finally, better results were obtained in the mechanical properties of the silanized particles, with an improvement of around 28% in low percentages, rising the percentage by increasing S-TiO2.