Chitosan/Graphene Oxide Biocomposite Film from Pencil Rod

Abstract

Graphene Oxide (GO) has been succesfully synthesized using Hummber method from graphite powder of pencil rod. The excellent solubility of graphene oxide (GO)in water imparts its feasibilty as new filler for reinforcement hydrophilic biopolymers. In this research, the biocomposite film was fabricated from chitosan/ graphene oxide. The characteristics of graphene oxide were investigated using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The results of the XRD showed graphene structur in 2θ, appeared at9.0715owith interlayer spacing was about 9.74063Å. Preparation films with several variations of chitosan/ graphene oxide was done by casting method and characterized by mechanical and morphological analysis. The mechanical properties of the tensile test in the film show that the film CS/ GO (85: 15)% has the optimum Young's modulus size of 2.9 GPa compared to other variations of CS / GO film. Morphological analysis film CS/GO (85:15)% byScanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), the obtained biocomposites film showed fine dispersion of GO in the CS matrix and could mix each other homogeneously.