Abstract
Enhanced mechanical and barrier properties are of special interest in food packaging industries, in which uniform dispersion of nanoparticles in polymers confers considerable improvement in these properties. In this study, maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (MAPE) and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) compatibilised low density polyethylene/montmorillonite (LDPE/MMT) nanocomposite films were prepared with different concentrations of the compatibilisers by melt mixing technique. The delamination of MMT layers was evidenced from X-ray diffraction results that suggested an increase in the interlayer distance with the addition of compatibilisers, where MAPE is the better compatibiliser in delaminating MMT platelets in LDPE/MMT nanocomposites compared to EVA. The mechanical and barrier properties of compatibilised LDPE/MMT nanocomposites were better than uncompatibilised nanocomposites. The best improvement in tensile strength, tear strength and oxygen barrier were observed for LDPE/MMT/MAPE nanocomposites. However, the best improvements in elongation at break were seen for the LDPE/MMT nanocomposites compatibilised with EVA. Conclusively, MAPE compatibiliser is more effective in delaminating MMT platelets in LDPE/MMT nanocomposites, enhancing the mechanical and barrier properties of the nanocomposites. Results revealed that the optimum content of MAPE in terms of mechanical and barrier properties is 3 phc. The enhanced tensile and barrier properties of LDPE/MMT films with the incorporation of MAPE suggest a great potential of these nanocomposite films in food packaging.
Highlights
Polyethylene films are used in many applications, including food stuff and goods packaging, agriculture and merchandising
The X-ray diffraction (XRD) diffractograms of MMT and the representative nanocomposite films having varying content of maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (MAPE) and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) compatibiliser are shown in Figures 1(a) and (b), respectively
The comparison of diffraction peak location reveals that peak position moved toward lower 2θ and continued to move as the MAPE and EVA content increased
Summary
Polyethylene films are used in many applications, including food stuff and goods packaging, agriculture and merchandising Their popularity in the plastic industry is due to their low production cost and product cost, easy processability, high flexibility, impact toughness and high resistant to moisture.[1,2] These films have been used for food packaging, but fall short in providing an enhanced shelf life for oxygen and moisture sensitive foods due to their low barrier. The use of MAPE and EVA as compatibilisers for MMT filled polyethylene nanocomposites have been reported previously.[11,12,16,17] In the present study, the effects of MAPE and EVA content on the mechanical and barrier properties of LDPE/MMT nanocomposite films were investigated and compared. To the best of our knowledge, no similar study has been reported in the open literature
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