ZnAl2O4/Chitosan Films and Evaluation of the Influence of ZnAl2O4 Filler on the Films Morphology, Structure and Thermal Properties

The present work intends to prepare ZnAl2O4/chitosan films with a mass proportion of 3:1and evaluate the influence of the ZnAl2O4 filler on the chitosan films morphology, structure and thermogravimetric properties. The films were characterized by XRD, SEM, TG and FTIR. With the XRD, it has been verified that both the chitosan and the ZnAl2O4/chitosan films presented the chitosan peaks. However, the ZnAl2O4/chitosan film also presented the ZnAl2O4 peaks. Through the SEM, it has been observed that the chitosan film presented a flat surface. On the other hand, the ZnAl2O4/chitosan presented a protruding surface. The TGA/DTA curves of the ZnAl2O4/chitosan film showed an increase in the thermal stability at temperatures greater than 720oC, comparing with the chitosan film.