Blend Films Research Articles

“Like dissolves like” enables the synergy of fluorinated additive and fluorous solvent soaking for high-performance organic solar cells

The pre-treatment and post-treatment of organic solar cells (OSCs) are two important device engineering processes that are closely associated with photovoltaic performance. Yet these two stages are independently developed to optimize the morphology and then improve the device performance, while their synergy is believed to be more productive. In this study, the fluorinated additive and fluorous solvent soaking (FSS) are simultaneously employed in OSCs, and the “like dissolves like” concept drives their synergetic role on the morphology optimization. The fluorinated additive 1,8-diiodoperfluorooctane (FDIO) could selectively enhance the packing order and crystallinity of the acceptor through forming the fluorine-induced interactions. Moreover, fluorous solvent could penetrate into the blend film and then remove the residue FDIO while further optimizing the morphology by enhancing molecular packing. By employing the synergy of FDIO additive and FSS treatment (40 °C for 30 s), a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18.64 % with the simultaneous improvements of photovoltaic parameters is achieved. This study provides a synergetic strategy by employing fluorinated additive and fluorous solvent to tune film morphology in the film-formation and post-treatment processes, respectively, consequently advancing the photovoltaic performance of OSCs.

Novel pervaporation separation of PVA/CS blend membranes for the removal of DMF from industrial wastewater

AbstractAchieving satisfactory separation of N, N‐Dimethylformamide (DMF)/water is still challenging in industrial wastewater treatment. To address this issue, a novel method involving pervaporation (PV) separation using polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan (PVA/CS) blend films is proposed. Various characterization methods confirmed the strong compatibility between PVA and CS, and the blending improved their mechanical properties and thermal stability. Heat treatment significantly reduced the swelling degree of the membranes. In a binary aqueous system with low concentrations of DMF, controlled separation can be achieved by adjusting the blending ratio of PVA to CS. The membranes exhibited preferential selectivity for DMF when the CS content is 40–75 wt%, which allowed for the concentration and recovery of DMF. At 20 °C with a feed of 10 wt% DMF solution, 2 h heat‐treated PVA/CS‐50 membrane exhibited the best performance, which could be attributed to its strong hydrogen bonding force, with a total flux of 484.09 g m−2 h−1 and a separation factor of 5.41 for DMF. The PVA/CS blend membranes exhibit excellent acid and alkali resistant and are promising candidates for the separation and recovery of DMF from industrial wastewater by membrane technology.

Preparation and investigation of structural, optical, and dielectric properties of PVA/PVP blend films boosted by MWCNTs/AuNPs for dielectric capacitor applications

With the rising global energy demands, there is a pressing need for the invention of efficient and reliable energy storage systems. This research centers on the creation and analysis of flexible dielectric capacitors composed of polymer nanocomposites (PNCs), incorporating a blend of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as the base polymer, with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) serving as nanofillers. The AuNPs were produced through an environmentally friendly synthesis method. Films made from PVA/PVP blended with MWCNTs and AuNPs were fabricated using the casting approach. Various characterization methods, including TEM, XRD, FTIR, and UV–Vis spectroscopy, were utilized to evaluate the samples. A detailed analysis of their electrical/dielectric characteristics was conducted. XRD analysis revealed a significant decrease in crystallinity from 55% for the pure PVA/PVP blend to 37% for the 1.6 wt% nanofiller composite, indicating increased amorphous content, which facilitates better ion mobility. FTIR confirmed strong interactions between the polymer matrix and nanofillers, with intensified vibrational peaks pointing to enhanced molecular dynamics. UV–Vis spectroscopy demonstrated a red shift in the absorption edge, and Tauc plot analysis showed a reduction in the indirect/direct optical band gap from 4.84 eV/5.68 eV for the pure blend to 4.26/5.35 eV for the nanocomposite with 1.6 wt% nanofillers. The addition of nanofillers resulted in improvements in their dielectric features, which exhibited a significant performance improvement, with the dielectric constant (ε′) reaching approximately 1100 at low frequency for the 1.6 wt% nanofiller sample, compared to 9 for the pure blend. Additionally, the dielectric loss (ε'') and tangent loss (tan δ) were reduced, with tan δ showing a decrease from 15 for the pure blend to 2 for the 1.6 wt% nanofiller composite at low frequency, indicating enhanced dielectric efficiency and reduced energy dissipation. The capacitors' functionality was assessed through capacitance-frequency and conductance-frequency analyses. The capacitors exhibited stable high capacitance across a broad frequency spectrum, making them alternatives for energy storage solutions.

Co-immobilization of lipase and β-galactosidase in gelatin-carboxymethyl cellulose blend films used as an active packaging component

β-Galactosidase and lipase were co-immobilized in polymeric blends of gelatin (GEL) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) synthesized with different ratios of GEL/CMC: A (0GEL:100CMC), B (25GEL:75CMC), C (50GEL:50CMC), D (75GEL:25CMC), E (100GEL:0CMC). The films obtained good electrostatic interaction and a regular and uniform structure. The addition of CMC increased the mechanical resistance of the films, the tensile strength being 35.04 ± 0.10 MPa for A (0GEL:100CMC) films and 19.17 ± 2.44 MPa for E (100GEL:0CMC) films. Thermogravimetry (TG) showed that the addition of the enzyme decreases the thermal stability of the films. Film B (25GEL:75CMC) showed greater affinity with the added enzymes and greater thermal stability, in addition to increasing the crystallinity by up to 5.8 % and forming more transparent films. CMC was the most hydrophilic polymer, with higher moisture content (17.35 ± 1.73 %) and PVA (0.398 ± 0.047 g.mm/h.m2.kPa), higher still after the addition of enzyme (22.91 ± 1.06 % and 1.136 ± 0.087 g.mm/h.m2.kPa). The enzymes showed greater interaction with the bulky groups of CMC and the film with the highest concentration of this polymer was the one that presented the best hydrolysis rate of lactose and triglycerides, enabling the production of films.

End-Extended Conjugation Strategy to Reduce the Efficiency-Stability-Mechanical Robustness Gap in Binary All-Polymer Solar Cells.

Concurrently achieving high efficiency, mechanical robustness and thermal stability is critical for the commercialization of all-polymer solar cells (APSCs). However, APSCs usually demonstrate complicated morphology, primarily attributed to the polymer chain entanglement which has a detrimental effect on their fill factors (FF) and morphology stability. To address these concerns, an end-group extended polymer acceptor, PY-NFT, was synthesized and studied. The morphology analysis showed a tightly ordered molecular packing mode and a favorable phase separation was formed. The PM6 : PY-NFT-based device achieved an exceptional PCE of 19.12 % (certified as 18.45 %), outperforming the control PM6 : PY-FT devices (17.14 %). This significant improvement highlights the record-high PCE for binary APSCs. The thermal aging study revealed that the PM6 : PY-NFT blend exhibited excellent morphological stability, thereby achieving superior device stability, retaining 90 % of initial efficiency after enduring thermal stress (65 °C) for 1500 hours. More importantly, the PM6 : PY-NFT blend film exhibited outstanding mechanical ductility with a crack onset strain of 24.1 %. Overall, rational chemical structure innovation, especially the conjugation extension strategy to trigger appropriate phase separation and stable morphology, is the key to achieving high efficiency, improved thermal stability and robust mechanical stability of APSCs.

Glycolic acid doped PFN-Br as cathode interface to achieve high-efficiency in organic solar cells

Small compounds are often utilized to adjust the cathode interface of organic solar cells (OSCs) due to their low batch change, easy synthesis, unambiguous chemical structure, and low cost. In this work, the alcohol-soluble small molecule material Glycolic acid was doped into the electron transport material Poly(9, 9-bis(3′-(N, N-dimethyl)-N-ethylammoniumpropyl-2, 7-fluorene)-alt-2, 7-(9, 9-dioctylfluorene)) dibromide (PFN-Br) to modify the performance of the cathode interface layer (CIL). The CIL doped with Glycolic acid has better surface morphology, which is conducive to charge transport and extraction. In addition, the introduction of Glycolic acid improves the hydrophilicity of CIL, makes the metal electrode have good contact with CIL, and helps to improve the stability of the OSCs. Additionally, it suppresses the device's trap-assisted recombination and bimolecular recombination, hastening exciton dissociation and charge collection. As a result, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of OSCs based on PM6: Y6 blend film has risen from 15.26 % to 15.91 %. After 312 hours of stability testing, the aforementioned doped devices still have device performance higher than standard device. Furthermore, based on PBDB-T: IT-M mix film, the PCE of the doped device and reference device was 11.29 % and 10.55 %, respectively. This study suggests that using the alcohol-soluble small-molecule material Glycolic acid can increase the organic solar cells' (OSCs') efficiency. This study provides a new method for manufacturing high-performance OSCs.

Enhancing energy storage properties via controlled insulation properties of PVDF-based polymer capacitors

In the realm of energy storage and electrical insulation, this study illuminates the innovative fabrication and consequent properties of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyethylene glycol (PEG800) blend films, synthesized via the casting method. The essence of this research lies in the integration of PEG800 into the PVDF matrix, a strategic move that significantly bolsters the insulation capabilities of the resulting composite, underscored by a dramatic decrease in leakage current from 2.61E-7 A to 3.50E-9 A at an electric field of 50 MV/m. Notably, at an optimal PEG800 mass fraction of 30 %, the composite film unveils an extraordinary energy storage density of 34.6 J/cm3 under the formidable electric field of 650 MV/m. This study not only shows cases the superior energy storage and rapid charge-discharge characteristics, particularly with a discharge time (t0.9) of 66 ns of the 70PVDF/30PEG800 film, but also underscores the potential of such blend films in revolutionizing the design and functionality of polymer film capacitors, marking a significant stride towards sustainable and efficient energy storage solutions.

Gradual Optimization of Molecular Aggregation and Stacking Enables Over 19% Efficiency in Binary Organic Solar Cells.

Volatile solid additive is an effective and simple strategy for morphology control in organic solar cells (OSCs). The development of environmentally friendly new additives which can also be easily removed without high-temperature thermal annealing treatment is currently a trend, and the working mechanism needs to be further studied. Herein, a highly volatile and non-halogenated solid additive 1-benzothiophene (BBT) is reported to regulate molecular aggregation and stacking of active layer components. According to the film-forming kinetics process, a momentary intermediate phase is formed during spin-coating, which slows down the film-forming process and leads to more ordered molecular stacking in the solid film after introducing solid additive BBT. Subsequently, after solvent vapor annealing (SVA) further treatment, the resultant blend films exhibit a tighter and more ordered molecular stacking. Consequently, the synergistic effect of solid additive BBT and SVA treatment can effectively control morphology of active layer and improve carrier transport characteristics, thereby enhancing the performance of OSCs. Finally, in D18-Cl:N3 system, an impressive power conversion efficiency of 19.53% is achieved. The work demonstrates that the combination of highly volatile solid additives and SVA treatment is an effective morphology control strategy, guiding the development of efficient OSCs.

Energy harvesting by car-tire using piezoelectric polymer films blended with carbon-nanotubes

Energy harvesting through harnessing mobile cars is possible by combining mechanicals systems with advanced materials. Piezoelectric polymer blends with excellent mechanical properties facilitate energy harvesting using the car-tire as a source. Furthermore, by adding simplicity of preparation to the blends with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), an increase of energy conversion can lead to improved existing polyvinylidene fluoride/polymethylmethacrylate (PVDF/PMMA), films. This work focuses on investigating the best concentration of MWCNT to achieve car-tire energy harvesting as a sustainable and renewable energy option. The results show that 0.05 wt% of MWCNT is the best concentration among several values. A test set-up applying normal stress, simulating car-tire deformation indicated enhanced voltage generation. Compared to the energy consumption of combustion cars, the enriched films generate up to 4.3kWh. This energy is harvested over a car trip of 100 km. A higher nanotube concentration caused saturation of the blend film and poor output. The novel enriched polymer must be tested for resisting cyclic loads to encourage sustainable energy harvesting using car tires.

Structure and properties of homogeneous toughened poly(vinyl alcohol) blended membrane and exploration of application in membrane separation

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) has excellent physical and chemical properties; however, its rigidity easily leads to brittleness and breakage during use. Additionally, due to intramolecular hydrogen bonding, the dense structure of the film limits its application. This research used a self-toughening approach by homogeneously blending PVA 0588 and PVA 0499 with different molecular weights to enhance the toughness of PVA and create a porous structure for broader application in membrane separation. Porous PVA membranes were then produced through mechanical stretching. Rheological testing, differential scanning calorimetry, and dynamic thermomechanical analysis confirmed that the blend system is partially compatible. Mechanical characterization revealed that adding PVA 0499 decreased the tensile modulus, strength, and bending modulus of the blended film but increased the elongation at break, reaching a maximum of 179 %. This result indicates that homogeneous blending effectively achieved PVA self-toughening. After this, the PVA blended membrane underwent mechanical stretching. Results showed that the stretched membrane developed a porous structure with a PVA 0588 content of 60 wt%, yielding a pure water flux of 70.3 L m−2 h−1 MPa−1 and a glucan rejection rate of 91.07 %. The molecular weight cut-off test demonstrated that the resulting porous membrane was suitable for water treatment, effectively filtering substances with a molecular weight of ≥70 kDa. The membrane also exhibited notable antifouling properties. The hydrophilicity and high roughness of the porous membrane facilitated the formation of additional hydrogen bonds between the membrane surface and water molecules, thereby reducing direct contact between pollutants and the membrane surface. This study provides preliminary theoretical and experimental insights into enhancing PVA toughness and expanding its applications in membrane separation. Furthermore, homogeneous blending opens new avenues for improving the mechanical performance of polymers.

Microwave, ferroelectric and electromechanical studies of free standing blended electroactive polymer films

This study probes the enhancement of the microwave, ferroelectric and electromechanical properties of electroactive polymer (EAP) blended films made out of P(VDF-TrFE) and Nafion. Blended films are synthesized using the solution casting method, with different Nafion volume percentage (0 % to 30 %), and the phase formation is confirmed using XRD and FTIR spectroscopy. The morphological features are studied using FESEM. The reflection loss of the blended films as a function of thickness has been studied in both X and Ku band using a VNA. The contribution of reflection and absorption to the shielding effectiveness are also explored. 10 % Nafion inclusion effectively minimizes microwave reflection. The P-E hysteresis study reveals that the blended films exhibit high performance in terms of the parameters. The electromechanical coupling factor has been enhanced for 10 % Nafion inclusion. These findings suggest that the blended films have potential applications in flexible piezoelectric sensors, capacitors, memory, and microwave devices.

Boosting Organic Solar Cells to Over 18 % Efficiency through Dipole‐Dipole Interactions in Fluorinated Nonfused Ring Electron Acceptors

AbstractThis study successfully designed and synthesized two nonfused ring electron acceptors, 412‐6F and 412‐6Cl, modified with fluorine and chlorine substituents, respectively. Single‐crystal analysis revealed that 412‐6F possesses a planar molecular backbone and exhibits pronounced dipole‐dipole interactions between the fluorine atoms on the lateral phenyl groups and the carbonyl oxygen atoms on the end groups. This specific interaction promotes dense end‐group stacking, leading to a reduced interlayer spacing. Improved crystallinity and coherence length are observed in the D18 : 412‐6F blend film. Conversely, 412‐6Cl adopts a more distorted configuration and lacks these interactions. As a result, the organic solar cell (OSC) based on D18 : 412‐6F achieved a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 18.03 %, surpassing the performance of the D18 : 412‐6Cl OSC. This underscores the importance of designing novel acceptors with beneficial intermolecular interactions to enhance OSC efficiency, thus providing a new direction for organic photovoltaic advancement.

Boosting Organic Solar Cells to Over 18 % Efficiency through Dipole-Dipole Interactions in Fluorinated Nonfused Ring Electron Acceptors.

This study successfully designed and synthesized two nonfused ring electron acceptors, 412-6F and 412-6Cl, modified with fluorine and chlorine substituents, respectively. Single-crystal analysis revealed that 412-6F possesses a planar molecular backbone and exhibits pronounced dipole-dipole interactions between the fluorine atoms on the lateral phenyl groups and the carbonyl oxygen atoms on the end groups. This specific interaction promotes dense end-group stacking, leading to a reduced interlayer spacing. Improved crystallinity and coherence length are observed in the D18 : 412-6F blend film. Conversely, 412-6Cl adopts a more distorted configuration and lacks these interactions. As a result, the organic solar cell (OSC) based on D18 : 412-6F achieved a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 18.03 %, surpassing the performance of the D18 : 412-6Cl OSC. This underscores the importance of designing novel acceptors with beneficial intermolecular interactions to enhance OSC efficiency, thus providing a new direction for organic photovoltaic advancement.

A non-enzymatic flexible and wearable sensor based on thermal transfer printing technology for continuous glucose detection in sweat

Non-invasive, flexible wearable sensors are an important method to continuously measure glucose in sweat for diabetes and human health monitoring and management. However, how to create an alkaline environment at any time so that CuO based sensors can be applied to wearable devices to detect sweat glucose while finding a way to efficiently and quickly produce the sensors in small batches have been a challenge. Herein, we report a non-enzymatic thermal transferred flexible and wearable sensor based on CuO/CaTiO3 for continuous glucose detection in sweat. The sensor is manufactured using thermal transfer printing technology, which offers advantages like low cost, ease of operation, and rapid small batch production. CuO is known for its excellent electrocatalytic activity, making it a suitable candidate for glucose oxidation. Meanwhile, CaTiO3 particles provide a large specific surface area, good biocompatibility, and electrical conductivity, which enhance the electron transfer rate during detection and broaden the linear range of glucose detection. Specially designed NaOH/Nafion/PEO blend film make the measurements always in a strong alkali environment without any pretreatment and preparation. The synthesized material with this as-prepared flexible and wearable sensor exhibits superior performance towards glucose monitoring, such as high sensitivity of 487.3 μA mM−1 cm−2 with limit of detection(LOD) 0.75 μM, wide dynamic linear range from 0.01 mM to 2 mM and fast response time of less than 0.1 s. Additionally, the proposed sensor also exhibited excellent biocompatibility, selectivity, reproducibility and flexibility, as well as good stability with about 88 % of its initial activity after 5 weeks’ storage and it has been successfully applied for the detection of glucose concentration in human sweat real samples. This research contributes to the development of flexible and wearable sensors for non-invasive sweat diagnostics, enabling continuous glucose monitoring for various applications in healthcare and wellness.

Stability and photophysical study of bright day light fluorescent material and its fabrication in laser patterning and LED application

Developing aggregation-induced emission (AIE) active highly visible fluorescent dyes is of great importance because of its numerous applications. We have successfully developed and synthesized two novel napthalimide based molecules PU1 and PU2, that exhibit bright greenish yellow in day light and vivid green emission when exposed to UV light. Compounds PU1 and PU2 exhibit variable emission behavior at different solvent polarities. Upon raising the solvent polarity from ether to DMF, emission maxima of PU1 and PU2 underwent a bathochromic shift. Additionally, compounds PU1 and PU2 show signs of AIE, which cause a restriction in intramolecular mobility. A distinct self-assembled structure was generated at 30 % aqueous DMF solution following aggregation, as demonstrated by experiments using dynamic light scattering and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Compounds PU1 and PU2 have been blended with poly(urethane) to develop a polymeric film. Tensile strain studies, and TGA, DSC analyses were used to examine the thermal/mechanical stability of PU films. The photostability of PU1 and PU2 in both solution and polymeric film was examined using a 5-h UV-beam irradiation. Furthermore, in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid, the blended polymeric film and 365 nm LED light coated material exhibits distinct colorimetric and fluorimetric transformations. Finally, laser-induced periodic surface structure (LIPSS) pattern processing on PU1 coated substrates can be extended for optical applications.

AFM-IR Spectromicroscopy Unveils Hidden Phase Separation in Polymer–Polymer Blend Films for Photovoltaic Applications

AFM-IR Spectromicroscopy Unveils Hidden Phase Separation in Polymer–Polymer Blend Films for Photovoltaic Applications

Exploring the Impact of 1,8-Diioodoctane on the Photostability of Organic Photovoltaics.

Improving the photostability of the light-harvesting blend film in organic photovoltaics is crucial to achieving long-term operational lifetimes that are required for commercialization. However, understanding the degradation factors which drive instabilities is complex, with many variables such as film morphology, residual solvents, and acceptor or donor design all influencing how light and oxygen interact with the blend film. In this work, we show how blend films comprising a donor polymer (PBDB-T) and small molecule acceptor (PC71BM or ITIC) processed with solvent additive (DIO) yield very different film morphologies, device performance, and photostability. We show that DIO is retained approximately 10 times more effectively in ITIC based films compared to PC71BM. Unexpectedly, we see that while high volumes of DIO reduce photostability for encapsulated ITIC devices, when oxygen is introduced DIO can improve the lifetime of PBDB-T:ITIC based cells. Here, the addition of 3% DIO doubles the T 80 compared to ITIC based devices without DIO, suggesting that DIO-induced morphological changes interfere with or reduce photo-oxidative reactions.

Optimized dual-band amplified spontaneous emission properties of PFO and BUBD-1 blend films based on AgNPs doped buffer layers

Dual-band amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) can be used as a spectral analysis technique to detect specific chemical or biological molecules. In this paper, the dual-band ASE properties of blend films containing a small organic molecule N,N’-(4,4′-(1E,1′E)-2, 2′-(1,4-phenylene) bis(ethene-2,1-diyl)) −bis(4,1-phenylene))-bis(2-ethyl-6-methyl-phenylaniline) (BUBD-1) and a conductive polymer Poly(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl) (PFO) were investigated and optimized. As the doping concentration of BUBD-1 in the PFO was increased from PFO: 1 wt% BUBD-1 to PFO: 5 wt% BUBD-1, the ASE emission wavelength shifted from single- to dual-band and then back. The dual-band ASE performance of the blend film was also improved by introducing a Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) buffer layer containing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), which resulted in a significant decrease in the excitation energy threshold of both ASE peaks and a significant increase in the net gain. Due to the LSPR effect of AgNPs, the ASE thresholds for peaks at 460 nm (PFO) and 490 nm (BUBD-1) in the blend film decreased from 12.24 ± 0.49 μJ/pulse to 6.99 ± 0.28 μJ/pulse and from 12.75 ± 0.51 μJ/pulse to 7.03 ± 0.28 μJ/pulse, respectively. The experimental and theoretical simulation demonstrated that the incomplete energy transfer between PFO and BUBD-1 led to a dual-band ASE effect. In addition, the enhanced light absorption, emission, and scattering caused by LSPR in the AgNPs improved the threshold and gain for dual-band ASE. This provides a possibility of realizing dual-band organic semiconductor lasers.

Preparation and Characterization of Biodegradable Plastic from Red Seaweed (Gracilaria sp.) from Coastal Areas in Bangladesh

AbstractBioplastics are biobased or biodegradable plastic synthesized from natural resources with similar features to conventional plastic and environmental sustainability. Seaweed species abundant in the coastal regions of Bangladesh are yet to be explored for developing biodegradable plastic to solve the plastic pollution problem. Semi‐refined kappa carrageenan was extracted from Gracilaria sp. with Pressurized Hot Water Extraction (PHWE) and blended with sorbitol and polyethylene glycol 1540 in this study, respectively. The presence of carrageenan and other functional groups was confirmed with FTIR analysis. The bioplastic films showed over 90 % biodegradability after 16 days of soil burial test and 98 % water solubility after immersion for 16 days. Maximum 20 MPa tensile strength and 44 % elongation were observed from the bioplastic films. The polyethylene glycol 1540 blended films showed better physical and mechanical properties. SEM analysis was conducted to evaluate the influence of tensile strength and elongation on the surface integrity of the bioplastic films. The findings indicate that Gracilaria sp. found in the coastal regions of Bangladesh, can be a potential candidate for developing bioplastics for food packaging and many other applications.

Green and renewable thermoplastic polyvinyl alcohol/starch blend film fabricated by melt processing

In this study, the PVA/starch blend films were prepared by dry melting method. The microstructure showed that the starch existed in the continuous PVA matrix in granular structure. When the amount of starch was 30 wt%, the tensile strength increased from 12.8 to 14.7 MPa, and the elastic modulus increased from 15.4 to 20.5 MPa, and the water absorption increased by about 2 %. The addition of starch increased the Tmax by 8.1–29.64 °C compared to pure PVA. Considering the mechanical, hydrophilic and optical properties of the blend films, PVA/starch at 7:3 was the most promising packaging material. Notably, the blend films exhibit great reusability and renewability. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of PVA/starch blend films as environmentally friendly materials with enhanced properties.