Dear Leila Leila ,

The DSC will show heat releases (or absorptions) depending on the phenomena that is occurring (for example, a degradation), only in nitrogen atmosphere (or argon, in some DSC). To understand if that heat release/absorption is related to the degradation of chitosan or not, the best thing to do would be a TGA analysis, either in nitrogen, but also in air.

The TGA will show you how the mass of your sample decreases with temperature. For each temperature in which you see a mass decrease, you can infere that something is degrading in there.

If your sample is comprised only of nanoparticle-chitosan coating, I imagine you will see a first mass loss due to chitosan degradation (at X temperature) and then if the nanoparticles are resistant, nothing else. But if the nanoparticles, I do not know, degrade at 500C, you may see that mass change too.

I suggest complementing the DSC analysis you propose with the TGA analysis that I mentioned to calculate what you are needing.

Best of luck!

Dear Leila Leila ,

First you have to do DSC analysis of chitosan-coated nanoparticle and pure nano particles in same environmental condition, Temperature range, Heating rate (run rate), Nitrogen flow or inert atmosphere, Sample mass and crucible type and compare change in enthalpy value, delta H (area under the peak) to calculate the approx. amount of coating. The difference in delta H between coated and uncoated nanoparticles reflects the energy associated with the chitosan. By comparing the enthalpy values, you can estimate the approximate amount of chitosan on the particles.

You’ll need a baseline for chitosan’s thermal behavior as a control, ideally from a pure chitosan DSC scan under the same conditions.

For accuracy and reliability you must have to do SEM analysis of nanoparticles and chitosan coated nano particles, by increasing the size of coated nano particles, you can calculate the amount of coating.

If both methods converge to a similar value, your estimation is considered reliable and accurate.