Table 2.
Thermal decomposition temperatures (based on inflection points) of pure polyelectrolytes: sodium alginate (ALG), chitosan (CH) and sodium alginate–chitosan polyelectrolyte complexes (ACH-1–ACH-9).
| Sample | Inflection Point 1 (°C) | Inflection Point 2 (°C) | Inflection Point 3 (°C) | Inflection Point 4 (°C) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALG | 64.8 ± 0.4 e | 162.5 ± 0.8 c | N | N |
| CH | 71.7 ± 0.3 g | 181.3 ± 0.7 a | N | 279.2 ± 0.5 d |
| ACH-1 | 60.1 ± 0.2 e | 180.9 ± 0.4 a | N | 275.6 ± 0.6 c |
| ACH-2 | 58.1 ± 0.3 c | 182.5 ± 0.5 b | N | 270.5 ± 0.2 a |
| ACH-3 | 56.7 ± 0.3 a | 180.9 ± 0.7 a | 211.8 ± 0.6 c | N |
| ACH-4 | 58.4 ± 0.8 c | 191.2 ± 0.8 f | N | 273.5 ± 0.6 b |
| ACH-5 | 56.9 ± 0.5 a | 183.7 ± 0.7 e | 208.7 ± 0.2 b | N |
| ACH-6 | 54.0 ± 0.5 b | 182.6 ± 0.4 b | 222.2 ± 0.3 a | N |
| ACH-7 | 55.0 ± 0.4 d | 181.2 ± 0.6 a | 222.4 ± 0.5 a | N |
| ACH-8 | 56.3 ± 0.4 a | 178.5 ± 0.3 d | 222.5 ± 0.4 a | N |
| ACH-9 | 54.2 ± 0.8 b | 182.6 ± 0.3 b | 222.1 ± 0.5 a | N |
N—no peak observed, values with different letters (a–g) within the same column differ significantly (p < 0.05).