What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to create eco-friendly nanocomposite biofilms using PVA and chitosan, enhancing their properties for packaging.

February 19, 2026Scientific Reports0 citationsOpen Access

Green fabrication of PVA based biofilms incorporated with shrimp shell derived chitosan, plasticized with PEG or Gly and reinforced by biosynthesized ZnO nanoparticles

FEFariba Ezzatabadipour ZGZahra Ghasemi MAMehdi Haji Abdolrasouli

Key Points

The aim is to create eco-friendly nanocomposite biofilms using PVA and chitosan, enhancing their properties for packaging.
Developed biofilms based on PVA and shrimp shell-derived chitosan with added plasticizers.
Reinforced films with biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles.
Characterized using techniques such as X-ray diffraction, FTIR, and tensile testing.
Incorporating BioZnO NPs improved tensile strength to 59.91 MPa and flexibility.
Water vapor transmission decreased to 0.48 × 10^-6 g.m/m².h.pa with optimal nanoparticle levels.
Films without BioZnO NPs showed reduced tensile strength at 39.85 MPa, highlighting the nanoparticles' reinforcing role.

Abstract

This study reports the development of eco-friendly nanocomposite biofilms (NCBFs) based on Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan extracted from shrimp shells (SSDCs), reinforced with biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (BioZnO NPs) derived from Avicennia marina leaf extract. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and glycerol (Gly) were incorporated as plasticizers to enhance film flexibility and processability. The resulting NCBFs were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), tensile testing, migration stability analysis, and water vapor permeability measurements. XRD analysis confirmed the high-purity crystalline phase of BioZnO NPs and revealed characteristic diffraction peaks corresponding to both BioZnO NPs and SSDCs within the NCBF matrices, thereby validating successful composite formation. Incorporation of BioZnO NPs at an optimum concentration significantly enhanced tensile strength (59.91 MPa), elongation at break (93.56%), and elastic modulus (66.76 MPa), while simultaneously reducing water vapor transmission (0.48 × 10-6 g.m/m2.h.pa) and polymer migration. In contrast, films prepared without BioZnO NPs exhibited reduced tensile strength (39.85 MPa) and flexibility, alongside a substantially increased elastic modulus (507 MPa), highlighting the reinforcing role of the nanoparticles. Furthermore, variations in SSDCs content influenced film flexibility, with lower SSDCs concentrations yielding more flexible films. Overall, the optimized NCBFs demonstrated superior mechanical and barrier properties, indicating strong potential for sustainable packaging applications. The use of natural polymers and BioZnO NPs offers a cost-effective and environmentally benign alternative to conventional petroleum-based plastics, contributing to the mitigation of plastic pollution.

Perguntar à IA

Bookmark

View Full Paper