Abstract
Commercially available types of chitin or chitin isolate are usually in powder form and are nanofibrous in microstructure. However, the surface characteristics of natural chitin in the body of insects are currently understudied. Herein, natural chitin film was successfully produced from bio-waste of insect pupae of the Japanese giant silkworm. Two different surface morphologies of the chitin film were observed. We report for the first time a micropapillary surface structure of chitin which was observed on the dorsal side of the film. To further potential of the micropapillary structured natural chitin in sensing applications, we develop a protocol for generating a nanoscopic film of Ag using thermal evaporation. The Ag-deposited natural chitin films exhibited surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity to an extent depending on the structure of the film. In conclusion, materials science has been expanded by addition of a natural, three-dimensional chitin film with utilizable properties.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 117909 |
Journal | Carbohydrate Polymers |
Volume | 262 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 15 Jun 2021 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Keywords
- Caligula japonica
- Chitin isolation
- Novel surface morphology
- Pupa shell
- SERS