Hydrophobic nanocomposites of PBAT with Cl‐fn‐POSS nanofiller as compostable food packaging films

Abstract

Antibacterial nanocomposite films of poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) incorporated with different weight percentage of octakis(3‐chloropropyl)octasilsesquioxane (chloropropyl functionalized POSS [Cl‐fn‐POSS]) nanofiller were prepared. The mechanical, thermal, morphological, barrier, and antimicrobial properties were examined. The mechanical properties of the nanocomposite films were enhanced by the addition of Cl‐fn‐POSS nanofiller. An optimum filler loading of 3 wt% is identified to be best suited for maximum enhancement in tensile strength (24 MPa for 3 wt% filled PBAT vs 11 MPa for neat PBAT) while a 1 wt% filler loading was adequate to double the tensile strength. The barrier properties (WVTR and oxygen transmission rate) of PBAT was improved by the presence of Cl‐fn‐POSS. A volume of 3 wt% filler loading results in 50% reduction of water permeation and 10% reduction in oxygen transmission. The thermogravimetric analyses of the nanocomposites indicated that the filler enabled the enhancement of thermal stability of PBAT. The nanocomposite films revealed antimicrobial activity with this activity increasing with increasing filler content. PBAT is compostable under suitable conditions and with a low weight percentage of filler that is largely made of silicon dioxide these nanocomposite films can find application as biodegradable food packaging material given their flexibility.

Preparation and Antimicrobial Characterization of Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)/Kaolin Clay Biocomposites

“…Hydrophobicity is strongly affected by a variety of additional factors, such as the degree of loading, compatibility, and polymer matrices. Balaji et al showed that the water contact angle matched similar results [ 46 ].…”

Development of poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) composites with high thermal oxidation stability using Chrysanthemum morifolium extract as a natural additive

“…An important application of PBAT is as a packaging film material, in which wettability is a significant factor in evaluating its performance 56 . Studies have shown that the enhanced hydrophobicity of biodegradable polymer is in favor of packaging materials since it must avoid water vapor 57 .…”

“…An important application of PBAT is as a packaging film material, in which wettability is a significant factor in evaluating its performance. 56 Studies have shown that the enhanced hydrophobicity of biodegradable polymer is in favor of packaging materials since it must avoid water vapor. 57 The water contact angle is a common method to characterize the wettability of the film materials, which is affected by the chemical properties of the filler, as well as by the surface topographical properties.…”

Alkaline pretreatment and steam explosion process on coffee silverskin and incorporation of cellulose fibers in poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate)

“…The results found for neat PBAT were the same as those reported by other authors in the literature. 44,[67][68][69] The incorporation of SEW4 fibers in the PBAT matrix had practically no influence on the thermal stability of the materials, with T onset , T 10% , and T max values remaining practically equal to those of neat PBAT. Some authors reported that excessive fiber contents may inhibit the chain slip because of agglomeration, leading to slightly weaker thermal stabilities 70,71 ; however, the results found were still similar to the neat PBAT.…”