To improve the properties of the biodegradable and biocompatible agar sheets, an attempt is made to fabricate agar based graphite composite (AGC) sheets by simple thermo-physico-mechanical method using hotplate and ultrasonic bath. AGC were prepared by incorporating varying the amounts of graphite as additive in the agar matrix, with ratios ranging from 1:1 to 1:5. The physical characterization of the as prepared AGC and control sheet was done by analyzing the thermal stability, evaporation rate, water holding capacity (WHC) and swelling ratio (SR). SEM, FTIR and XRD analyses were used to investigate the morphology and structural characteristics of AGC. The results showed that AGC with high amount of graphite showed low WHC, SR and high evaporation rate. The AGC were thermally more stable than control and showed stability up to 180°C. SEM, FTIR and XRD data showed the successful and uniform distribution of graphite powder within the agar matrix. From the overall study it was concluded that the delicate nature of agar was transformed into a rigid and thermally stable composite sheets having the potential to be used for several applications.

Key words: Agar; graphite; composite; characterization; thermal stability