Antibacterial, Mechanical and Thermal Properties of PVA/Starch Composite Film Reinforced with Cellulose Nanofiber of Sugarcane Bagasse

PVA/starch nanocomposite film reinforced with cellulose nanofiber (CNF) of sugarcane bagasse was developed in this study as other option of existing biodegradable plastics packaging. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is selected in this study as it is the only synthetic polymer that is able to degrade and exhibit excellent film forming properties. This nanocomposite film was prepared via solution casting method. Cellulose nanofiber (CNF) was extracted from sugarcane bagasse (SCB) via alkaline and mild acid treatment assisted with ultrasonication. The cellulose nanofiber suspension was added into PVA/starch film with different loadings from 1 to 6wt% to determine the optimum loading that would give the best result of mechanical, thermal and antibacterial properties. The thermal properties, tensile strength and elongation at break of PVA/starch/cellulose nanofiber showed improvement when the CNF of SCB loading was 4wt%. Reinforcement of cellulose nanofiber to PVA/starch film caused a great enhancement of the tensile strength (85 MPa) which was 254% improvement. Antibacterial properties of this composite film PVA/starch/CNF incorporated with lemongrass essential oil gave inhibition towards gram positive bacteria S. aureus. This study can be an initial step towards development of active food packaging with improved properties of biodegradable film.

Automated summary

This study developed a PVA/starch nanocomposite film reinforced with cellulose nanofiber from sugarcane bagasse as an alternative to existing biodegradable plastics packaging. The addition of cellulose nanofiber improved the mechanical, thermal, and antibacterial properties of the film, with the best results observed at a CNF loading of 4wt%. The film also exhibited enhanced tensile strength and antibacterial properties against S. aureus when incorporated with lemongrass essential oil.