|
Abstract
|
We prepared biodegradable nanocomposites from plasticized starch-polyvinyl alcohol (PS-PVA) com-posite incorporated with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). The nanocomposite films were characterized bymechanical, thermal, and barrier analyses as well as atomic force microscopy (AFM). The geometricalcharacteristics of the CNC confirmed that the thickness of CNC was less than 100 nm. The generatednanocomposites exhibited an improvement in mechanical and barrier properties. The films showeddecrease in solubility, water absorption, water vapor permeability (WVP), and strain at break (SB). How-ever, contact angle, ultimate tensile strength (UTS), glass transition temperature (Tg) and melting point(Tm) increased after addition of CNC. The results suggest that as a green reinforcement for elaboration ofbiodegradable packaging, CNC is a good replacement for mineral reinforcement such as silicates.
|