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In the present study, the results from thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), contact angle measurements, tensile tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) of polymer composites containing chitosan (Ch) and montmorillonite (MMT) with and without poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) are presented.

Measurements of the contact angles for diiodomethane (D) and glycerol (G) on the surfaces of chitosan films, Ch/MMT and Ch/PVA/MMT, were made and surface free energies were calculated. It was found that the wettability of the chitosan/MMT or Ch/PVA/MMT composite films decreased relative to the wettability of chitosan. The microstructure of unmodified polymers and their composites, as observed by SEM and AFM, showed particles that are relatively well dispersed in the polymer matrix. The TGA thermograms and mass loss percentages at different decomposition temperatures showed that the …