Fabrication and characterization of polyvinyl alcohol/carboxymethyl cellulose/titanium dioxide degradable composite films: an RSM study

Abstract

The main aim of the current study was to design and fabricate biodegradable antibacterial composite films composed of polyvinyl alcohol/carboxymethyl cellulose/titanium dioxide (PVA/CMC/TiO2) with appropriate potential for packaging applications. The process was designed using the response surface methodology (RSM) via the Design Expert software. PVA was chosen as the main portion of the film, and the weight percent of CMC and TiO2 were selected as the important parameters affecting the mechanical properties, degradability, and water vapor permeability (WVP) of the prepared samples. Statistical analysis confirmed that software presented quadratic equations could predict the governed relations between process parameters and selected responses properly. These equations showed that adding CMC and TiO2 improved mechanical and barrier properties of the pure PVA matrix, while the degradability and WVP decreased due to uniform dispersion of TiO2 into the matrix. However, further adding of CMC and TiO2 reduced mechanical and barrier properties probably due to agglomeration of nanoparticles and embrittlement of the matrix. Furthermore, significant antibacterial property against Escherichia coli was observed via the disk diffusion method for the composite films due to presence of TiO2. Overall, the current study findings support the potential of PVA/CMC/TiO2 compounding for fabrication of active biodegradable packaging films.