Biocomposites of poly(lactic acid) and lactic acid oligomer‐grafted bacterial cellulose: It's preparation and characterization

Abstract

This work demonstrates the synthesis of lactic acid oligomer-grafted-untreated bacterial cellulose (OLLA-g-BC) by in situ condensation polymerization which increased compatibilization between hydrophobic poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and hydrophilic BC, thus enhancing various properties of PLA-based bionanocomposites, indispensable for stringent food-packaging applications. During the synthesis of OLLA-g-BC, hydrophilic BC is converted into hydrophobic due to structural grafting of OLLA chains with BC molecules. Subsequently, bionanocomposites films are fabricated using solution casting technique and characterized for structural, thermal, mechanical, optical, and gas-barrier properties. Morphological images showed uniform dispersion of BC nanospheres in the PLA matrix, which shows strong filler-matrix interaction. The degradation temperatures for bionanocomposites films were above PLA processing temperature indicating that bionanocomposite processing can be industrially viable. Bionanocomposites films displayed decrease in glass transition (T g ) and~20% improvement in elongation with 10 wt % fillers indicating towards plasticization of PLA. PLA/OLLA-g-BC films showed a slight reduction in optical transparency but had excellent UVblocking characteristics. Moreover, dispersed BC act as blocking agents within PLA matrix, reducing the diffusion through the bionanocomposite films which showed~40% improvement in water-vapor barrier by 5 wt % filler addition, which is significant. The reduced T g , improved elongation combined with improved hydrophobicity and water-vapor barrier make them suitable candidate for flexible foodpackaging applications.

Development and Characterization of Sustainable Composites from Bacterial Polyester Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) and Almond Shell Flour by Reactive Extrusion with Oligomers of Lactic Acid

“…This was taken as a reference material to improve its properties by the addition of a compatibilizer/plasticizer. An oligomer of lactic acid ester (OLA) was added in different proportions (10 and 20 phr) to provide compatibilization and some plasticization [49,50]. In Table 2, the increase in impact resistance for the reference uncompatibilized composite is observed with the addition of 10 phr and 20 phr of OLA.…”

Effect of Iron-Oxide Nanoparticles Impregnated Bacterial Cellulose on Overall Properties of Alginate/Casein Hydrogels: Potential Injectable Biomaterial for Wound Healing Applications

“…Recently, MNPs have been attached to other filler materials such as silk nanocrystals, cellulose nanocrystals, bacterial cellulose (BC) and so on [ 1 , 20 , 21 ]. BC has been extensively used as a reinforcing material for biomedical applications over the last few decades, mainly due to high purity, crystallinity, water retention, biocompatibility and mechanical properties [ 22 ]. BC is a linear homopolysaccharide where glucan chains (C 6 H 10 O 5 ) are linked by hydrogen bonding to form a nano-fibrous network structure.…”

Characterization and antimicrobial properties of ferulic acid grafted self‐assembled bacterial cellulose‐chitosan membranes

“…The BC membrane presented the typical FT‐IR spectra of cellulosic substrates, with strong bands around 3347, 2898, 1640, and 1046 cm −1 . The broad peak at 3347 cm −1 was attributed to the stretching vibration of OH groups 36 . The bands at 2898 and 1640 cm −1 originated from CH stretching and HOH bending of the absorbed water.…”

“…The broad peak at 3347 cm −1 was attributed to the stretching vibration of O H groups. 36 The bands at 2898 and 1640 cm −1 originated from C H stretching and H O H bending of the absorbed water. The peak at 1046 cm −1 originated from the stretching vibration of the C O C pyranose ring skeleton.…”