21st International Conference on Composite Materials (ICCM21)

Xi’an, China
August 20 – 25th 2017

Polylactic Acid (PLA) / Magnesium Oxide (MgO)

Nanocomposite Films
for Food Packaging Applications
Chetan Swaroop1 and Mukul Shukla1, 2, 3

School / Department of Mechanical Engineering

1 Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, India
2 Queen’s University, Belfast, UK
3 University of Johannesburg, South Africa
New Delhi

Allahabad

Kolkata

2
Allahabad, India
• Regarded mainly for the confluence
of three river Ganga, Yamuna and
invisible Sarasvati.

• Every 12 year there is huge Kumbh

mela (holy fair)

3
 Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad (MNNIT)

23-09-2018 Chetan Swaroop & Mukul Shukla Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, India 4
 Outlook

• Motivation

• Experimental details

• Results and Discussion

• Conclusions

23-09-2018 Chetan Swaroop & Mukul Shukla Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, India 5
 Introduction to Packaging
• Enclosement of food material/ goods in a
container for its delivery to the ultimate
consumer in the best condition indented for their
use. Packaging typically performs the following
functions

World packaging materials

consumption$

$ WorldPackaging Organisation,
www.worldpackaging.org

23-09-2018 Chetan Swaroop & Mukul Shukla Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, India 6
 Conventional Plastics for Packaging

23-09-2018 Chetan Swaroop & Mukul Shukla Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, India 7
 Issues with Packaging Materials

• Non-biodegradable polymers are major contributor to global litter

and cause serious waste disposal problems

• Recycling plastics becomes economically unfeasible as mostly they

are contaminated by biodegradable stuff

• Unlike conventional plastics Biodegradable Polymers (BPs) undergo

rapid degradation caused by biological activity

23-09-2018 Chetan Swaroop & Mukul Shukla Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, India 8
 Desired Attributes of Materials for Packaging
Applications

1. Mechanical Properties: High strength to weight ratio - Tensile

strength, elongation at break, tear strength, light weight

2. Barrier Properties: Low permeability of atmospheric gases, water

vapour and natural substances

3. Thermal Properties: Stability with temperature, heat sealable,

degradation at elevated temperature

23-09-2018 Chetan Swaroop & Mukul Shukla Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, India 9
 Desired Attributes of Materials for Packaging
Applications

• Antibacterial Properties: Resistant to microorganisms

• Optical Properties: Transparency, Glossiness, Haziness, UV

shielding

• Chemical Properties: Biodegradable and printable, chemically inert

and stable

23-09-2018 Chetan Swaroop & Mukul Shukla Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, India 10
 Challenges in Incorporation of BPs for Packaging
Applications
• Biopolymers like PLA, PHA and PCL are biodegradable but offers
inferior mechanical properties despite of higher cost

• Starch has lower cost but it offers poor mechanical strength, water
solubility, swelling and deformation upon exposure to moisture.

• Biopolymers starts degrading on elevated temperature hence heat

sealing becomes a challenge.

• Biopolymers offer poor barrier properties.

23-09-2018 Chetan Swaroop & Mukul Shukla Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, India 11
 Nanocomposite – Enhanced Barrier Properties

Permeant
Polymer film with
nano-filler
Pristine
polymer film

Straight diffusion path: Weak Tortuous path: Improved

barrier properties
barrier properties
23-09-2018 Chetan Swaroop & Mukul Shukla Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, India 12
 Preparation of MgO/PLA Nanocomposite (NC) Films
1. Prepared by solvent casting method

2. Dried PLA pallets were dissolved in chloroform by magnetic

stirring

3. MgO nanoparticles (NPs) were separately dispersed in chloroform

by ultrasonication

4. MgO NPs suspended into chloroform was poured into dissolved

PLA under constant stirring

5. Obtained mixture was poured into a petri disc to evaporate the

chloroform at room temperature

6. Dried NC films (thickness = 35-45 µm) were peeled out from the
petri disk and conditioned in a vacuum oven
23-09-2018 Chetan Swaroop & Mukul Shukla Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, India 13
 XRD analysis of MgO Nanoparticles

Peaks of MgO Nanoparticles

(NPs) appears at 36.8 , 42.8

62.2 , 74.6 and 78.5 o

23-09-2018 Chetan Swaroop & Mukul Shukla Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, India 14
 XRD analysis of prepared NC films
1. Broad diffraction peak at 16.5o
reveals amorphous crystal structure
of NC films
2. Peak at 42.7o in 2, 3 and 4 wt%
samples and 62.2 in 2 wt% sample
correspond to (002) and (202) crystal
plane of MgO NPs respectively.
3. Solvent casting process did not alter
the crystal structure of MgO NPs

23-09-2018 Chetan Swaroop & Mukul Shukla Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, India 15
 SEM Analysis of PLA/MgO NC Films

50 µm 50 µm 50 µm

Neat PLA Film 1 wt% NC 2 wt% NC

50 µm 50 µm

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 Observations of SEM analysis

1. Neat PLA film has smooth and compact surface

2. PLA/MgO NC films exhibit roughness due to presence of the NPs

3. No physical defects like cavity, pinholes or microcracks

4. Agglomeration of the NPs increases with loading

5. Good interaction of NPs and the PLA matrix

23-09-2018 Chetan Swaroop & Mukul Shukla Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, India 17
 Continued…. Part 2

Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad,

23-09-2018 18
India