TEMPO-Oxidized Cellulose Nanofibers/Polylactic acid/TiO2 as Antibacterial Bionanocomposite for Active Packaging

THE DEVELOPMENT of bionanocomposite films with improved structural morphology of cellulose nanofiber reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) was achieved. The new strategy was attained via grafting of TEMPO oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TOCNF) prepared from corn cops using wheat gluten protein. The effect of different percent of TOCNF and grafted-CNF (G-CNF) on tensile strength and Young's modulus of the produced films were studied as well as the addition of TiO2 nanoparticles. The surface morphology and thermal analysis of the films were revealed by scanning electron microscope and thermal gravimetric analysis. The incorporation of G-CNF enhanced the mechanical properties of the films due to the good dispersion and strong interactions with PLA.