Evaluation of vital features of PVA–CaCO3 nanocomposite films for biodegradable packaging applications

Abstract

Environmental pollution due to non-biodegradable packaging materials is a menace. Hence, with a societal concern, an attempt was made through this paper to fabricate and evaluate pore-free nanocomposite films with PVA as the matrix with various wt% CaCO3 as a nanofiller through various physical parameters for alternate biodegradable packaging. The films are fabricated by a solution casting method. Optical, morphological, structural and dielectric studies were made on the films. Improvements in mechanical and thermal properties were observed in the films because of CaCO3 loading. Biodegradability of the composite films was immensely thus replacing the present non-biodegradable packaging materials. Increase in biodegradability with time and wt% of CaCO3 was highlighted. The low dielectric constant combined with the biodegradable nature of the films might prove useful in microelectronic packaging and thin/foldable/wearable optoelectronics. The investigated properties of the films establish multifunctionality and merit applications in the designing of packaging materials.