Studies of crosslinked biopolymer structure for environmental tools in terms of the rheological measurements: part B

The crosslinked biopolymer structure constructed by blending different biopolymers or adding crosslink agent to biopolymers was studied. The rate of crosslink reaction was estimated with rheological measurements, such as elasticity and viscosity, glass transition temperature, crosslinking density, and gelation. Intermolecular and intramolecular association among polymer chains resulted in the formation of a complex three-dimensional (3-D) network as a single, double, or triple helix. These aggregates are progressively disrupted under an influence of applied shear forces that can be heat or pressure for a long period time. Nonetheless, such crosslinked structure exhibited the unique properties that may be found in a crosslinked structure. Therefore, such 3-D crosslinked structure can make an effective tool to stabilize such hazardous materials as heavy metals, toxic organics, and radioactive waste in a subsurface engineering system. In this study, the rate of crosslinking reaction in a biopolymer structure was fundamentally determined with the measurement of rheological properties.