Morphological, Mechanical, and Antimicrobial Properties of PBAT/Poly(methyl methacrylate- co -maleic anhydride)-SiO 2 Composite Films for Food Packaging Applications.

A poly(methyl methacrylate- co -maleic anhydride) P(MMA- co -MA) copolymer was synthesized via radical polymerization. The synthesized P(MMA- co -MA) copolymer was identified by 1 H- and 13 C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1 H-NMR), ( 13 C-NMR), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The poly(butylene adipate- co -terephthalate) (PBAT)/P(MMA- co -MA)-SiO 2 composites were developed using a solution-casting method. The PBAT to P(MMA- co -MA) weight ratio was kept at 70:30, while the weight percentage of SiO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) was varied from 0.0 to 5.0 wt.%. SiO 2 was used for PBAT/P(MMA- co -MA) to solve the compatibility between PBAT and the P(MMA- co -MA) matrix. The PBAT/P(MMA- co -MA)-SiO 2 composites were characterized by studied FTIR spectroscopy, XRD, SEM, and TEM. A comparison of the composite film PBAT/P(MMA- co -MA)-SiO 2 (PBMS-3) with the virgin PBAT and P(MMA- co -MA) film revealed its good tensile strength (19.81 MPa). The WVTR and OTR for the PBAT/P(MMA- co -MA)-SiO 2 composites were much smaller than for PBAT/P(MMA- co -MA). The PBAT/P(MMA- co -MA)-SiO 2 WVTR and OTR values of the composites were 318.9 ± 2.0 (cc m -2 per 24 h) and 26.3 ± 2.5 (g m -2 per 24 h). The hydrophobicity of the PBAT/P(MMA- co -MA) blend and PBAT/P(MMA- co -MA)-SiO 2 composites was strengthened by the introduction of SiO 2 , as measured by the water contact angle. The PBAT/P(MMA- co -MA)-SiO 2 composite films showed excellent antimicrobial activity against the food-pathogenic bacteria E. coli and S. aureus from the area of inhibition. Overall, the improved packaging characteristics, such as flexibility, tensile strength, low O 2 and H 2 O transmission rate, and good antimicrobial activities, give the PBAT/P(MMA- co -MA)-SiO 2 composite film potential for use in food packaging applications.