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. 2023 Jan-Mar;106(1):368504231157142.
doi: 10.1177/00368504231157142.

Nanocellulose-reinforced, multilayered poly(vinyl alcohol)-based hydrophobic composites as an alternative sealing film

Chun-Tu Chou  1 , Shih-Chen Shi  1 , Tao-Hsing Chen  2 , Chih-Kuang Chen  3
Affiliations

Nanocellulose-reinforced, multilayered poly(vinyl alcohol)-based hydrophobic composites as an alternative sealing film

Chun-Tu Chou et al. Sci Prog. 2023 Jan-Mar.

Abstract

A flexible, hydrophobic, and multilayered poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) film evolved to replace a commercially available nonbiodegradable easy seal-paper (ES-PAPER) sealing film. First, environmentally friendly fillers, such as cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) or cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), were added to produce PVA + CNC/CNF composites via blade coating and solution casting to strengthen the mechanical properties of PVA. Subsequently, biodegradable and hydrophobic materials, such as poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactic acid) (PEG-PLA) and neat PLA, were added to prepare multilayered PEG-PLA and PLA hydrophobic composites using double-sided solution casting. The hydrophobicity of PVA was enhanced through heat treatment. Finally, the mechanical properties of the as-prepared PVA film were compared with those of a commercially available ES-PAPER sealing film. PVA + CNC/CNF composites exhibit excellent transparency and mechanical properties, whereas PVA + CNCs 3.0 wt% have the highest Young's modulus and tensile strength, which are, respectively, 3% and 96% higher than the Young's modulus and tensile strength of an ES-PAPER sealing film. With regard to strain at break, the prepared PVA film also exhibited a value many times larger than that of the ES-PAPER sealing film because of good filler dispersibility, which significantly enhanced the durability of the sealing film.

Keywords: Multilayered; cellulose; hydrophobic; poly(vinyl alcohol); sealing film.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
FTIR patterns of the PVA + CNC/CNF composites. I–XI notations are described henceforth. I: neat PVA, II: PVA + CNCs 0.5 wt%, III: PVA + CNCs 1.0 wt%, IV: PVA + CNCs 1.5 wt%, V: PVA + CNCs 2.0 wt%, VI: PVA + CNCs 2.5 wt%, VII: PVA + CNCs 3.0 wt%, VIII: PVA + CNFs 0.5 wt%, IX: PVA + CNFs 1.0 wt%, X: neat CNCs, and XI neat CNFs.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Transparency of the PVA + CNC/CNF composites.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Young's modulus and tensile strength along the directions: (a) horizontal and (b) vertical to the blade coating direction of the PVA + CNC/CNF composites.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Tm values of the PVA + CNC/CNF composites.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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