Influence of the addition of chitin nanocrystals on the characteristics of cellulose acetate films

Abstract

The present study deals with chitin nanocrystal (CHNC)-reinforced cellulose acetate (CA) films formed by the solvent casting method that makes use of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as a plasticizing agent. Three different films containing various mass ratios of CHNCs (0.5, 1, and 2 wt %) in CA were investigated for hydrophilicity, mechanical properties, soil degradation, strength, water solubility, light transmittance, and antifungal activity. From the FT-IR analysis, no detectable shifts to the cellulose acetate bands with the loading of small amounts of CHNCs were observed. However, the light transmittance capacity of CA films decreased due to chitin addition. The chitosan incorporation enhanced the hydrophilic character of CA films, and also, the mechanical properties of the lower percentage of CHNCs in CA, like Young’s modulus, had a slight positive effect, while the tensile strength and elongation at breaks – had a negative influence. Finally, an increasing trend of antifungal activity with that of increased CHNC content was observed, i.e., the 2 wt % CHNCs containing CA film showed an inhibition rate (FGI) of 35%, 1 wt % CHNCs had a 15% inhibition rate, which is higher than that of 0.5 wt % CHNCs and pure CA, thereby indicating the potential role of CHNCs-reinforced CA films for packaging applications.