The influence of the combined impact of shear stress and cavitation on the structure and properties of starch-natural rubber composite.

In this article, we examined a high-performance, environmentally friendly method for producing composite films based on starch and natural rubber latex (NR). To increase the compatibility of the components, the casting dispersions were subjected to short-term (10 s) mechanical activation in a rotor-stator device. Using the rotational viscosimetry method, it was found that mechanical activation reduces the structuring degree and the effective viscosity of the casting dispersions.

Dual-Mode Solution Plasma Processing for the Production of Chitosan/Ag Composites with the Antibacterial Effect.

The development of novel biocompatible and biodegradable materials for medical applications has been drawing significant interest in the scientific community for years. Particularly, chitosan loaded with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) has a strong antimicrobial potential and could be applied, for example, as wound dressing material. In this work, chitosan/Ag NP composites were produced utilizing a single-step plasma-solution process, which is simple and environmentally friendly.

Effect of composition and mechanoactivation on the properties of films based on starch and chitosans with high and low deacetylation.

The effect of composition and mechanoactivation in the rotor-stator device on the rheological and film-forming properties of casting blends based on corn starch and chitosans with high (HDC) and low (LDC) deacetylation degree was studied. Films were characterized using optical and atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, FTIR-spectroscopy and by tensile and moisture permeability testing data. An increase in chitosan content was found to result in the blends viscosity increase as well as the tensile strength, elongation and moisture permeability of films.

Gelation in solutions of low deacetylated chitosan initiated by high shear stresses.

A new process of mechanically initiated formation of chitosan physical hydrogels in aqueous solution, without a cross-linking agent, was studied. Physical hydrogel is formed by mechanical activation of solutions of chitosan with a low deacetylation degree (58%) in situ in a rotor-stator device for 10 s. The formation of 3D gel structure has been proven by rotational viscometry and dynamic rheometry methods.

The influence of the combined impact of shear stress and cavitation on the structure and sorption properties of chitin.

In this work, we studied the structural, morphological and chemical transformations in α- chitin, caused by its mechanical activation in the form of an aqueous suspension in the rotor-stator device for 5-30 s. Mechanically activated chitin (MA-chitin) was characterized using optical and electron scanning microscopy, N adsorption/desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction and FTIR-spectroscopy. It was established that the specific surface area, porosity and the deacetylation degree of chitin increase with increasing processing time, and the decrease in crystallinity and reducing the packing density of macromolecular chains does not correlate with this indicator due to the development of recrystallization.