The effect of chemical crosslinking on the tensile and thermal properties of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC)/chitosan nanocomposites was investigated. Adipic acid (AA) was employed as crosslinking agent in this study. CNC reinforced chitosan-based nanocomposites were prepared by solution casting. The inclusion of AA enhanced the tensile strength and modulus of elasticity of CNC/chitosan nanocomposites significantly compared to the non-crosslinked nanocomposites. However, elongation at break decreased notably upon the addition of CNC and AA. The fractured surface of the CNC/chitosan nanocomposites was studied by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The behaviors of thermal property of chitosan nanocomposites was investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). DSC analysis showed that the AA-crosslinked chitosan nanocomposites has a higher melting point than the non-crosslinked chitosan nanocomposites.
