The physical, mechanical, thermal and barrier properties of starch nanoparticle (SNP)/polyurethane (PU) nanocomposite films synthesised by an ultrasound-assisted process

Abstract

This article reports on the ultrasound-assisted acid hydrolysis for the synthesis and evaluation of starch nanoparticles (SNP) as nanofillers to improve the physical, mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties of polyurethane (PU) films. During the ultrasonic irradiation, dropwise addition of 0.25 mol L^-1 H₂SO₄ was carried out to the starch dispersion for the preparation of SNPs. The synthesized SNPs were blended uniformly within the PU matrix using ultrasonic irradiation (20 kHz, 220 W pulse mode). The temperature was kept constant during the synthesis (4 °C). The nanocomposite coating films were made with a regulated thickness using the casting method. The effect of SNP content (wt%) in nanocomposite coating films on various properties such as morphology, water vapour permeability (WVP), glass transition temperature (Tg), microbial barrier, and mechanical properties was studied. The addition of SNP to the PU matrix increased the roughness of the surface, and Tg by 7 °C, lowering WVP by 60% compared to the PU film without the addition of SNP. As the SNP concentration was increased, the opacity of the film increased. The reinforcement of the SNP in the PU matrix enhanced the microbial barrier of the film by 99.9%, with the optimal content of SNP being 5%. Improvement in the toughness and barrier properties was observed with an increase in the SNP content of the film.

Keywords: Mechanical strength, Water vapor permeability, Bacterial barrier; Nanofiller; Starch nanoparticles; Ultrasound treatment.

Fig 1

Effect of ultrasonic irradiation time on the starch granular size.

Fig. 2

FESEM images of films a) SP1, b) SP2, c) SP3, and d) SP4 are the surface microstructure views, and e) SP1, f) SP2, g) SP3, and h) SP4 are the cross-sectional view of film.

Fig. 2

FESEM images of films a) SP1, b) SP2, c) SP3, and d) SP4 are the surface microstructure views, and e) SP1, f) SP2, g) SP3, and h) SP4 are the cross-sectional view of film.

Fig. 3

Thermal degradation of the nanocomposite films with different composition of SNP and PU a) TGA and b) DTG.

Fig. 4

Mechanical characteristics of nanocomposite films: a) tensile strength (MPa) and b) flexural strength (MPa).

Fig. 5

Mechanical performance of different SNP compositional thin film.

Fig. 6

Bacterial density using UV spectroscopy.

Fig. 7

Water vapour and oxygen barrier performance of composite thin film.