Abstract
In this study, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composite films enhanced by α-chitin nanowhiskers (ChWs) were prepared through heat treatment. The obtained membranes were assessed by means of FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, regular light transmittance, mechanical tests, permeability and water absorption. The influence of the nano-component and heat treatment on the mechanical, thermal and water-resistant properties of the composite membrane were analyzed. From the results of the work, the produced films with excellent barrier properties and inexpensive raw processed materials have great prospects in packaging applications.
Highlights
Therequirement of fully taking advantage of more environmentally friendly barrier materials, in substitution of other unrecoverable polymer materials derived from petrochemical origin, is constantly orienting research activities towards the renewable biopolymers in many applications, especially in food packaging [1]
A deal of researchers have concentrated on modifying its chemical properties by chemical cross-linking using compounds such as 1, 6-hexamethylene diisocyanate [9], glutaraldehyde [10], glyoxal [11], and boric acid (BA) [12]
(–CONH–) peak at 1653 cm−1 was obvious in the spectra of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/chitin nanowhiskers (ChWs) composite films (Figure 2c) and heat treated PVA/ChWs composite films (Figure 2e)
Summary
Therequirement of fully taking advantage of more environmentally friendly barrier materials, in substitution of other unrecoverable polymer materials derived from petrochemical origin, is constantly orienting research activities towards the renewable biopolymers in many applications, especially in food packaging [1]. Among various environmentally and nontoxic barrier materials, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a most significant semi-crystalline polymer. It has outstanding performance on solvent resistance, film-forming ability, transparency, non-toxicity, biocompatibility and oxygen barrier properties. It has been widely used in various industrial applications, such as adhesives [2], packaging application [3], paper coating agents [4] and drug delivery carriers [5]. For the sake of its excellent water resistance performance, PVA is typically blended with other synthetic polymers or else reinforced with different nanoscale materials such as clay [6] and grapheme [7,8]. A deal of researchers have concentrated on modifying its chemical properties by chemical cross-linking using compounds such as 1, 6-hexamethylene diisocyanate [9], glutaraldehyde [10], glyoxal [11], and boric acid (BA) [12]
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