(328q) Rheological Properties and Characterization of Alginate/bentonite Biocomposite Systems

In this study, the effects of alginate, a biopolymer, on the bentonite (MMT) suspensions and the films of alginate/bentonite biocomposites were investigated. Physical properties of alginate/MMT biocomposites with CaCl2 as a crosslinking agent and MMT as a filler have been studied and compared with pure alginates. In this case, the viscosity and zeta potential measurements were performed. The aim for these experiments was to see the dependence of alginate addition on viscosity and electrokinetic properties of MMT suspensions. The results showed that while alginate made the zeta potential of bentonite suspensions more negative, it decreased the viscosity of bentonite suspensions. The characterization of biocomposite was performed with different methods such as X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA).