Novel synthesis of nanocomposites with chitin

Nanocomposites are solid materials consisting of at least two different materials whereof one is a nano-particle. The newly gained substances in general have other properties than the starting materials. Their high potential of different applications for example as catalyst or as gas storage is reason for the great economical interest of composite materials.

Basic materials of the composites produced by Alonso and Belamie were chitin nano-particles and silicon dioxid. In a sol-gel process the composite was synthesised. Reaction conditions represent difficulties that have to be overcome since they play an important role for the synthesis. To avoid uncontrolled precipitation an alcohol suspension was produced. By then slowly replacing the ethanol with water a gel with a three-dimensional, cross-linked polymer structure was generated. Gels can be mould, dried or spray-dried to particles.
Weak attraction forces between the chitin and siloxan oligomers (a silicon dioxide precursor) and self-organised aggregations of the chitin molecules enabled the formation of the composite. By diverse environment conditions their structure can be actively influenced. During the process a magnetic field was applied which led to parallel lined up chitin rods.

To obtain a porous material the nanocomposite was heated so the chitin burned and left behind defined cavities.

The reached stability of the suspension offers a wide scope of applications to produce diverse morphologies and configurations. We are looking forward to learning about new research results.

Alonso and Belamie used for their experiments shrimp chitin. The Heppe Medical Chitosan product range offers chitin from different sources. Chitin from snow crab, shrimps or squid is available. Are you interested in these products? You can directly purchase small quantities in the HMC+ web shop.
 
 
 
Source:
www.organische-chemie.ch: Herstellung von Siliciumdioxid-Chitin-Nanokomposite durch Selbstorganisation.
Über: Alonso, Bruno, Belamie, Emmanuel: Chitin-silica nanocomposites by self-assembly. In: Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2010 Oct 25;49(44):8201-4.