Elaboration of a Reduced Graphene Oxide–Chitosan Biocomposite

In this work, to develop a reduced graphene oxide-chitosan (rGO-Cs) biocomposite by solution intercalation and cyclic voltammetry, we used reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and chitosan. We have synthesized reduced graphene oxide (rGO), from recycled, processed and activated graphite extracted from batteries or carbon from electric motors, by electrochemical process using KOH as electrolyte. We have extracted Chitosan from shrimp shells chemically in two steps: Extraction of chitin by demineralization, deproteinization and discoloration of shrimp shells. Then by deacetylation we obtain chitosan of off-white color, soluble in acetic acid and non-conductive and with a viscosity of 3.267 Pa s with a good yield and a DDA of 72%, which indicates the good quality of the chitosan produced; Using elaborated chitosan and commercial chitosan, reduced graphene oxide-chitosan (rGO-Cs) composites were synthesized; We characterized the produced samples by FTIR and UV–Vis spectroscopy, by cyclic voltammetry and by rheology in addition to conductivity and solubility tests.