Epoxidized Natural Rubber Bionanocomposite: A Model Case of Bionanocomposite Using Nanofibrous Chitosan and Its Consequent Functional Properties

A bionanocomposite of epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) with nanofibrous chitosan is proposed. The bionanocomposite is formed under the reaction between epoxy groups of ENR and amino and hydroxy groups of chitosan as confirmed by qualitative and quantitative FTIR techniques. The nanofibrous chitosan induces stiffness at nanoscale as observed by AFM and tensile strength at microscale to the ENR-chitosan nanocomposite system. The nanocomposite also shows the copper ion absorptivity as investigated by SEM metal ion mapping mode.