Chitin-Based Rubber Nanocomposites

Bio-fillers and their rubber composites have been topics of interest during the last few decades because of their low cost, eco-friendliness and good mechanical properties. Chitin is a polysaccharide readily available in nature. It is mainly synthesized from anthropods and crustaceans. Due to chitin's solubility restrictions, it has received less attention than starch and cellulose. The current chapter deals with chitin-based rubber nanocomposites where the different modes of chitin extraction and various techniques adopted for incorporating chitin in rubber matrices are disclosed. Essential characterization techniques selected for the composite materials are also discussed.