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Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)/Polylactic Acid/Tetrapod-Zinc Oxide Whisker Composite Films with Antibacterial Properties
Summary
Researchers developed a biodegradable composite film from poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate), polylactic acid, and tetrapod zinc oxide whiskers, characterizing its mechanical, antimicrobial, and barrier properties. The composite showed improved tensile strength and antibacterial activity against common food pathogens, making it a candidate for sustainable food packaging.
Biodegradable composite films comprising of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), polylactic acid (PLA), and tetrapod-zinc oxide (T-ZnO) whisker were prepared by a melt-extrusion and blow molding process. The effect of the incorporation of the T-ZnO whisker (1 to 7 wt.%) in the PBAT/PLA blend film was studied systematically. The composite films with an optimal T-ZnO whisker concentration of 3 wt.% exhibited the highest mechanical (tensile strength ~32 MPa), rheological (complex viscosity~1200 Pa.s at 1 rad/s angular frequency), and gas barrier (oxygen permeability~20 cc/m<sup>2</sup>·day) properties, whereas the composite films with 7 wt.% T-ZnO whiskers exhibited the highest antibacterial properties. The developed composite films can find potential application as antibacterial food packaging materials.
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