Synthesis and characterization of graphene oxide/carboxymethylcellulose/alginate composite blend films

• Composite blend was prepared by a simple solution mixing-evaporation method.
• FTIR indicates hydrogen bonding type interaction in the composite blend.
• XRD of composite blend showed that the GO sheets were well exfoliated in the CMC/Alg matrix.

In this work, graphene oxide/carboxymethylcellulose/alginate (GO/CMC/Alg) composite blends were prepared by a simple solution mixing-evaporation method. The resulting structure, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of the blends were investigated by wide-angle X-ray diffractometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and mechanical testing. The obtained findings revealed that CMC, Alg, and graphene oxide were able to form a homogeneous mixture. When compared to a CMC/Alg blend, the incorporation of 1 wt% graphene oxide improved the tensile strength and Young's modulus by 40% and 1128%, respectively. In addition, the GO/CMC/Alg composite blend film showed a higher storage modulus than the CMC/Alg blend.