Preparation and characterization of α-chitin whisker-reinforced poly(vinyl alcohol) nanocomposite films with or without heat treatment

α-Chitin whisker-reinforced poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposite films were prepared by solution-casting technique. The α-chitin whiskers were prepared by acid hydrolysis of α-chitin from shrimp shells. The as-prepared whiskers exhibited the length in the range of 150–800 nm and the width in the range of 5–70 nm, with the average length and width being about 417 and 33 nm, respectively. Thermal stability of the as-cast nanocomposite films was improved from those of the pure PVA film with increasing whisker content. The presence of the whiskers did not have any effect on the crystallinity of the PVA matrix. The tensile strength of α-chitin whisker-reinforced PVA films increased, at the expense of the percentage of elongation at break, from that of the pure PVA film with initial increase in the whisker content and leveled off when the whisker content was greater than or equal to 2.96 wt%. Both the addition of α-chitin whiskers and heat treatment helped improve water resistance, leading to decreased percentage degree of swelling, of the nanocomposite films.