POLYAMIDE-6 CHITOSAN BLENDS - PRELIMINARY-RESULTS/

Polyamide-6 (Pa6) and chitosan blends were prepared via the solution c asting technique, yielding partial miscibility between these two polym ers. DSC analysis shows a 75% decrease in the heat of fusion for Pa6 w ith 60% chitosan content, corresponding to a 25% decrease in the degre e of crystallinity. The infrared spectral band for the chitosan amide functional group shows a severe displacement from its normal position when Pa6 is added, more than 28 cm(-1) for an addition of 25% of Pa6. This spectral modification and the crystallinity variation could be at tributed to hydrogen bonding between components. The morphology of the blend after solvent evaporation at 30 degrees C was analyzed using a cross polarized optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope.