Novel Nanobiocomposites with Antimicrobial and Barrier Properties of Interest in Active Packaging Applications

摘要

It is well-known that the nanocomposites technology can significantly enhance, among others, the thermal, mechanical and barrier properties of plastics. It is also known that most bioplastics, including the thermoplastic biopolymers, have lower than desired levels for certain properties which makes their use in certain packaging applications problematic. The combination of active technologies such as antimicrobials and nanotechnologies such as nanocomposites can synergistically lead to bioplastic formulations with balanced properties and functionalities for their implementation in packaging applications. The present work presents the development and characterization of novel nanocomposites of polycaprolactone (PCL) with enhanced barrier properties and with controlled-release of biocide natural extracts. The antimicrobial nanocomposites of biodegradable materials were prepared in solution by a casting method. The morphology of the biocomposites was visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and by Atomic Force microscopy (AFM), the thermal properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the solubility and kinetics of released biocide were determined by Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transformed Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. Water and limonene barrier properties were also enhanced in the biocomposites.