The effect of glycerol on properties of chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) films with AlCl3·6H2O aqueous solution as the solvent for chitosan

The AlCl 3 ·6H 2 O aqueous solution was used to dissolve chitosan (CS) and the CS/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blend films were prepared at the absence of acetic acid. AlCl 3 ·6H 2 O was retained in CS/PVA film and glycerol was added to form the complex plasticizer with AlCl 3 ·6H 2 O. The effect of glycerol on the water sorption , crystalline, thermal and mechanical properties of AlCl 3 ·6H 2 O doped CS/PVA film was studied by atomic force microscopy , X-ray diffraction, thermal gravity analysis and tensile testing, respectively. The experimental results showed that glycerol had a significant positive effect on the properties of AlCl 3 ·6H 2 O doped CS/PVA films. With the synergism effect of AlCl 3 ·6H 2 O and glycerol, the prepared CS/PVA films showed excellent mechanical properties. With the addition of 30   wt% glycerol, the AlCl 3 ·6H 2 O doped CS/PVA films behave the tensile strength of 39   MPa and elongation at break of 120%, respectively.