Blending with another biopolymer or nanomaterial can be an effective route to modify or tailor the properties of chitosan materials. In this work, we compared the effects of two nanoclays, montmorillonite (MMT) and sepiolite (SPT), on the properties of chitosan and chitosan/silk peptide (SP) films. While the solution‐cast chitosan/SP films showed no phase separation on a micron length scale, some degree of molecular‐level heterogeneity or incompatibility was evident. MMT nanoplatelets were delaminated in the chitosan‐alone matrix, resulting in enhanced mechanical properties and hydrophobicity. In comparison, inclusion of SPT nanoneedles was less effective at altering the properties of the chitosan matrix. In the chitosan/SP system, the MMT was poorly dispersed, suggesting the two biopolymers interfere with how each interacts with the nanoclay. Nonetheless, in this case, MMT disrupted biopolymer chain interactions, leading to reduced mechanical properties and increased surface hydrophilicity. In contrast, SPT was found to enhance the mechanical properties of the chitosan/SP matrix, certainly associated with it being better dispersed. Thus, this work shows the efficacy of MMT and SPT as a route to altering the structure and properties of chitosan‐based biopolymer matrices. © 2020 The Authors. Polymer International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Industrial Chemistry.

中文翻译：

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了解蒙脱土和海泡石对溶液浇铸的壳聚糖和壳聚糖/丝肽复合膜性能的影响

与另一种生物聚合物或纳米材料共混可能是修改或调整壳聚糖材料性能的有效途径。在这项工作中，我们比较了两种纳米粘土，蒙脱土（MMT）和海泡石（SPT），对壳聚糖和壳聚糖/丝肽（SP）薄膜的性能的影响。虽然溶液浇铸的壳聚糖/ SP膜在微米长度尺度上没有显示出相分离，但在一定程度上存在分子水平的异质性或不相容性。MMT纳米血小板在脱乙酰壳多糖的基质中分层，从而增强了机械性能和疏水性。相比之下，包含SPT纳米针在改变壳聚糖基质的性能方面效果较差。在壳聚糖/ SP系统中，MMT分散较差，表明这两种生物聚合物会干扰每种与纳米粘土的相互作用。但是，在这种情况下，MMT破坏了生物聚合物链的相互作用，导致机械性能下降和表面亲水性提高。相反，发现SPT增强了壳聚糖/ SP基质的机械性能，当然与其更好地分散有关。因此，这项工作表明了MMT和SPT作为改变基于壳聚糖的生物聚合物基质的结构和性能的途径的功效。©2020作者。这项工作表明，MMT和SPT可以有效地改变基于壳聚糖的生物聚合物基质的结构和性能。©2020作者。这项工作表明，MMT和SPT可以有效地改变基于壳聚糖的生物聚合物基质的结构和性能。©2020作者。约翰·威利父子有限公司（John Wiley＆Sons Ltd）代表工业化学协会出版的《聚合物国际》。