Chitin Whiskers: An Overview
- 20 December 2011
- journal article
- review article
- Published by American Chemical Society (ACS) in Biomacromolecules
- Vol. 13 (1), 1-11
- https://doi.org/10.1021/bm201564a
Abstract
Chitin is the second most abundant semicrystalline polysaccharide. Like cellulose, the amorphous domains of chitin can also be removed under certain conditions such as acidolysis to give rise to crystallites in nanoscale, which are the so-called chitin nanocrystals or chitin whiskers (CHWs). CHW together with other organic nanoparticles such as cellulose whisker (CW) and starch nanocrystal show many advantages over traditional inorganic nanoparticles such as easy availability, nontoxicity, biodegradability, low density, and easy modification. They have been widely used as substitutes for inorganic nanoparticles in reinforcing polymer nanocomposites. The research and development of CHW related areas are much slower than those of CW. However, CHWs are still of strategic importance in the resource scarcity periods because of their abundant availability and special properties. During the past decade, increasing studies have been done on preparation of CHWs and their application in reinforcing polymer nanocomposites. Some other applications such as being used as feedstock to prepare chitosan nanoscaffolds have also been investigated. This Article is to review the recent development on CHW related studies.This publication has 120 references indexed in Scilit:
- Starch-based composites reinforced with novel chitin nanoparticlesCarbohydrate Polymers, 2010
- Wet-spun alginate/chitosan whiskers nanocomposite fibers: Preparation, characterization and release characteristic of the whiskersCarbohydrate Polymers, 2010
- X‐ray diffraction and dynamic mechanical analyses of α‐chitin whisker‐reinforced poly(vinyl alcohol) nanocomposite nanofibersPolymer International, 2009
- Fabrication, structure, and properties of chitin whisker‐reinforced alginate nanocomposite fibersJournal of Applied Polymer Science, 2008
- Polymer Grafting onto Starch NanocrystalsBiomacromolecules, 2007
- α-Chitin Nanocrystals Prepared from Shrimp Shells and Their Specific Surface Area MeasurementBiomacromolecules, 2006
- Preparation and characterization of α-chitin whisker-reinforced poly(vinyl alcohol) nanocomposite films with or without heat treatmentPolymer, 2005
- Vapor barrier properties of polycaprolactone montmorillonite nanocomposites: effect of clay dispersionPolymer, 2003
- A review of chitin and chitosan applicationsReactive and Functional Polymers, 2000
- The structure of α-chitinJournal of Molecular Biology, 1978