Modified nanoporous zeolites on a biodegradable polymer film with excellent hydrophobicity, ethylene gas adsorption, and antibacterial activity through surface charge accumulation

Abstract

The high specific surface area and large pore volume of nanoporous zeolites (NZs) were utilized to impart a biodegradable polymer film with superhydrophobicity, ethylene gas adsorption capability, and active antibacterial activity. NZs were synthesized by using organic silanes via a sol–gel method. They were then dispersed on a biodegradable blended PPP [poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/poly butylene succinate (PBS)/poly butylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT)] film to enhance its mechanical properties and control water repellent. The hydrophobicity of the organic silanes on the zeolite surface gradually increased according to their length. The film prepared by utilizing octadecyltriethoxysilane (ODTES) was superhydrophobic with a contact angle 142.6°. The porous structure of the PPP with attached ODTES-NZs impeded the release of accumulated charges generated through friction, thereby yielding excellent output voltage when applying friction periodically. The output performance of the PPP-ODTES-NZs film was measured to be 723 V when a positive charge was injected into the film, which was about 3.1 times higher than the output performance of the PPP film without surface modification. The accumulated positive charges provided excellent antibacterial efficacy against externally introduced bacteria. Our approach of attaching ODTES-NZs to a blended polymer provides a multifunctional biodegradable film (ethylene gas adsorption, water repellent, and antibacterial activity via positive charge accumulation) with excellent food-storage capability.