Chitosan-Polyaniline (Bio)Polymer Hybrids by Two Pathways: A Tale of Two Biocomposites

Previous research highlights the potential of polyaniline-based biocomposites as unique adsorbents for humidity sensors. This study examines several preparative routes for creating polyaniline (PANI) and chitosan (CHT) composites: Type 1—in situ polymerization of aniline with CHT; Type 2—molecular association in acidic aqueous media; and a control, Type 3—physical mixing of PANI and CHT powders (without solvent). The study aims to differentiate the bonding nature (covalent vs. noncovalent) within these composites, which posits that noncovalent composites should exhibit similar physicochemical properties regardless of the preparative route. The results indicate that Type 1 composites display features consistent with covalent and hydrogen bonding, which result in reduced water swelling versus Type 2 and 3 composites. These findings align with spectral and thermogravimetric data, suggesting more compact structure for Type 1 materials. Dye adsorption studies corroborate the unique properties for Type 1 composites, and 1H NMR results confirm the role of covalent bonding for the in situ polymerized samples. The structural stability adopts the following trend: Type 1 (covalent and noncovalent) > Type 2 (possible trace covalent and mainly noncovalent) > Type 3 (noncovalent). Types 2 and 3 are anticipated to differ based on solvent-driven complex formation. This study provides greater understanding of structure-function relationships in PANI-biopolymer composites and highlights the role of CHT as a template that involves variable (non)covalent contributions with PANI, according to the mode of preparation. The formation of composites with tailored bonding modalities will contribute to the design of improved adsorbent materials for environmental remediation to versatile humidity sensor systems.