ZnO deposited/encapsulated halloysite–poly (lactic acid) (PLA) nanocomposites for high performance packaging films with improved mechanical and antimicrobial properties

Abstract

A new approach to enhance the antimicrobial properties of poly (lactic acid) (PLA) packaging films while retaining their thermo-mechanical properties was examined. Herein, ZnO nanoparticles were deposited on the outer and inner surfaces of halloysite nanotubes (Hal) using a novel solvothermal method and these ZnO deposited Hal (ZnO-Hal) were incorporated into the PLA matrix as a reinforcing filler. PLA nanocomposite films were fabricated using the solution casting method with different filler loadings (0–10mass%). PLA nanocomposite films with ZnO had inferior mechanical properties while PLA films with ZnO-Hal showed significant improvements, where tensile strength and modulus increased by 30% and 65% with the addition of 5mass%, respectively. Antimicrobial tests revealed that ZnO-Hal can act as a promising antimicrobial agent against bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus where the bacteria count reduced by more than 99%.