Poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan/montmorillonite nanocomposites for food packaging applications

Abstract

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/chitosan (CS)/montmorillonite (C30B) materials for food packaging applications were prepared by using a noninvasive and low-cost freeze/thawing method. Cloisite 30B nanoclay content in PVA/CS gels was varied in order to establish optimum amount to obtain improved properties. The structural, morphological, rheological aspects, thermal stability, and antimicrobial activity were investigated using various techniques as Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy, rheology, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, and antibacterial tests. It was noticed that the obtained materials show an intercalated structure with specific interactions between components and nanoclay incorporation led to an increased thermal stability, mechanical properties, and excellent antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella typhimurium due to synergistic action of CS and nanoclay.

PVA, PVA Blends, and Their Nanocomposites for Biodegradable Packaging Application

“…Many studies have used nanofillers to reinforce PVA/chitosan blends in order to enhance their mechanical properties. For instance, Butnaru et al [5] used Cloisite 30B nanoclays to improve thermal stability and mechanical properties of PVA/chitosan blends for packaging films. The addition of Cloisite 30B nanoclays increased the onset degradation temperature and reduced the mass loss as compared with neat PVA and typical PVA/chitosan blends.…”

“…Polymeric materials have been used in recent history as a replacement for metals, glass and ceramics in packaging applications owing to their remarkable properties [4][5][6] . Indeed, their excellent mechanical and barrier properties, easy processability, relatively low cost and large availability of synthetic polymers such as polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide (PA), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE), have led to the widespread use in packaging applications since the middle of the twentieth century.…”

Poly (vinyl alcohol)/chitosan cryogels as PH responsive ciprofloxacin carriers

“…Thus, addition of chitosan to PVA led to the increase of swelling capacity of the cryogels. The small difference between swelling capacity of the PVA/CS 90/10 and PVA/CS 80/20 cryogels could be explained by their similar morphologies, the samples with an amount of CS up to 20 % had a more compact and dense microstructure [23]. This behavior could be explained by the presence of more PVA molecules trapped in the cryogels lead to the occupation of more of the free space volume in the polymeric network decreasing the volume available for swelling.…”

“…Cryogels based on poly (vinyl alcohol) and chitosan were prepared by freeze/thaw technique according to the method previously reported [23]. In short, it consists in mixing the 5 wt% solution of PVA in double distilled water and 5 wt% solution of CS in 1 wt% acetic acid solution in different ratios, namely PVA/CS 90:10, 80:20, and 60:40 (v/v%).…”

“…In Table 3 are presented the positions and assignements of the characteristic bands of CF and PVA/CS cryogels with and without CF. The hydrogen bonding interactions between PVA and CS are disscussed in our previous paper [23].…”