Characterization of polylactic acid/halloysite nanotubes bionanocomposite films for food packaging

The application of biopolymers as food packaging materials is limited because they exhibit low mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties. However, this limitation can be countered by adding nano-sized fillers to the biopolymers to prepare bionanocomposites. In this work, polylactic acid (PLA)/halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) bionanocomposite films were prepared by the casting method using different concentrations (0, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, and 6.0 wt.%) of HNTs. The effects of HNTs concentrations on the dispersion, chemical bonding, and the average molecular weights of the PLA/HNTs bionanocomposite films for improvements of their mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties were investigated. The optimum concentration of HNTs that resulted in the optimum properties of the films was found to be 3.0 wt.%. The PLA/HNTs bionanocomposite films were demonstrated to have the potential to extend the shelf life of packaged cherry tomatoes. The results of this study opened a window for improving the mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties of biopolymers for potential food packaging applications.