Influence of the concentration of copper nanoparticles on the thermo‐mechanical and antibacterial properties of nanocomposites based on poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate)

Abstract

Poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) was mixed with copper nanoparticles (Cu‐NPs) in concentrations of 1%, 3%, and 5% with particle size between 100 nm and 200 nm by the melting method. A morphological, thermal, and structural characterization of the nanocomposites (NCs‐PBAT/Cu) was performed to analyze the effect of the Cu‐NPs on the polymer chains, as well as to explain the influence on their crystallinity, and its influence on the thermomechanical and antibacterial properties. The percentage of crystallinity (Xc) increased 6.7% to 9.5% with the amount of Cu‐NPs in the matrix. E‐modulus was slightly improved from 84.04 to 87.7 MPa, in the same way the degradation temperature (Td) of the PBTA was improved from 420.7°C to 427.2°C for 5% loading of Cu‐NPs. In contrast, ΔHm decreased from 12.50 to 6.96 J/g, indicating that there was no significant modification of the PBAT chain, mainly by heterogeneous nucleation in the presence of Cu‐NPs, which act as a heat barrier. No blue or red shifts we observed in the nanocomposites Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, indicating there is no effective interaction between PBAT and Cu‐NPs. The nanocomposites showed excellent antibacterial properties inhibiting 100% of the strains Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus mutans, and Staphylococcus aureus, at 2 hours of treatment. For more resistant strains such as Acinetobacter baumannii, the NCs‐PBAT/Cu did not show antibacterial activity at any time of treatment. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:1870–1882, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers

Field performance on lettuce crops of poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate)/polylactic acid as alternative biodegradable composites mulching films

“…The OC improved the films' elasticity due to the digested organic molecules, such as proteins, carbohydrates, oils, and other molecules that are even aggregated in powder particles, which can interact with the PLA phase, improving the mechanical resistance 21,22 . The literature commonly reports that PBAT composites with natural compounds have low compatibility due to the polarity difference 23,24 . The use of blends with PLA was beneficial in the present work, increasing the matrix‐reinforcement interactions, reflecting in increases in tension and a slight decrease in the composite's stiffness.…”

“…21,22 The literature commonly reports that PBAT composites with natural compounds have low compatibility due to the polarity difference. 23,24 The use of blends with PLA was beneficial in the present work, increasing the matrixreinforcement interactions, reflecting in increases in tension and a slight decrease in the composite's stiffness. Similar results were obtained for C3, with an increase in the rigidity (E = 37 MPa) and a significant decrease in the composites' ductility (ε = 110%) after the RHs addition.…”

Morphological, Mechanical, and Antimicrobial Properties of PBAT/Poly(methyl methacrylate-co-maleic anhydride)–SiO2 Composite Films for Food Packaging Applications

“…The NP content caused a decrease in the OTR and WVTR values, indicating that the PBAT/P(MMA- co -MA)–SiO 2 ternary composites have good barrier properties. Previous studies reported activities in the OTR and WVTR for SiO 2 -reinforced PBAT [ 58 ]. Water and oxygen molecules can travel through PBAT films completely free of impurities.…”

Development of active poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) films incorporated with sodium benzoate and its application in white mushroom ( Agaricus bisporus ) packaging

“…that the E content of PBAT films decreased when the content of Cu nanoparticles in the PBAT matrix increased (Felipe Jaramillo et al, 2019). And nano silver oxide which agglomerated in PBAT matrix would also reduce the mechanical properties of the nanocomposite films .…”