Preparation and characterization of citric acid crosslinked chitosan‐cellulose nanofibrils composite films for packaging applications

Abstract

The inferior water vapor permeability and water resistance properties are the major challenges that hindered the development of chitosan-CNF composites for packaging applications. In this study, the chitosan-CNF composite films were prepared with in situ crosslinking of citric acid (CA) to reduce the percent water uptake (WU) and water vapor permeability (WVP). The composite films were produced by the solvent casting method with 10%, 15%, and 20% CNF as a reinforcement, 20%, 25%, and 30% CA as a crosslinker, and 20% glycerol as a plasticizer. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of composite films with a peak at 1710 cm À1 confirmed the effective crosslinking of citric acid on the chitosan-CNF matrix. The crosslinked composite films exhibited the lowest WU of 39% and WVP of 9.99 Â 10 À7 g/Pa s m 2 with reduced light transmittance due to CNF reinforcement. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study showed the smooth surface morphology of composite films. The CA crosslinking slightly decreased the tensile strength of composite films.However, the composite film with optimal CNF and CA concentration (25% and 20%, respectively) exhibited comparable tensile strength with other synthetic and biopolymer composites and can be used as a potential biopolymer composite for packaging applications.

Hybrid Graphenene Oxide/Cellulose Nanofillers to Enhance Mechanical and Barrier Properties of Chitosan-Based Composites

“…Moreover, the esterification reaction made the composite structure denser than that of pristine CS, decreasing the chain mobility of the polymer and creating a more tortuous path for water diffusion. A similar result was also found in chitosan-cellulose nanofibril composite films cross-linked with citric acid (Ponnusamy et al, 2021).…”

“…It is worth noting that CS-based composites prepared in this work show comparable tensile performances and superior water barrier properties to several chitosan-composites for packaging applications reported in the literature ( Liu et al, 2020 ; Han Lyn et al, 2021 ; Ponnusamy et al, 2021 ).…”

Lignocellulosic–biomolecules conjugated systems: green-engineered complexes modified by covalent linkers

“…3(a)). [86][87][88] Unfortunately, citric acid covalently bonds with any hydroxyl group and becomes undesirable for a thoroughly efficient biconjugated formation, 89,90 crosslinking the same type of biomolecule in the process. 91 Besides citric acid, other molecules with carboxylic groups work as linkers and assemble cellulose-biomolecule systems, including oxalic acid 92 and succinic acid.…”

Production of Cellulose Materials from Oat Agricultural Wastes: A Review of Recent Approaches

“…Such polymer can also be used in agriculture for controlled release of agrochemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, microbicides and plant growth regulators [202]. In addition, cross-linked cellulose can be used as a component of composites for the manufacture of packaging materials [203].…”