Mechanical Properties of Films of Graphene Oxide Doped with Chitosan

Films of graphene oxide containing 3 wt % chitosan are obtained via the low-temperature evaporation of a stable mixture of aqueous suspensions. The obtained films are characterized via elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It is also found that introducing the additive substantially increases the mechanical strength and plasticity of the film. The ultimate tensile strength and elongation upon breaking are thus 85.8 MPa and 2.53% for the composite films, respectively. These values are higher than the ones for a pure film of graphene oxide (55.1 MPa and 0.83%, respectively).