Study of cellulose nanocrystal doped starch-polyvinyl alcohol bionanocomposite films

We prepared biodegradable nanocomposites from plasticized starch-polyvinyl alcohol (PS-PVA) composite incorporated with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). The nanocomposite films were characterized by mechanical, thermal, and barrier analyses as well as atomic force microscopy (AFM). The geometrical characteristics of the CNC confirmed that the thickness of CNC was less than 100 nm. The generated nanocomposites exhibited an improvement in mechanical and barrier properties. The films showed decrease in solubility, water absorption, water vapor permeability (WVP), and strain at break (SB). However, contact angle, ultimate tensile strength (UTS), glass transition temperature (Tg) and melting point (Tm) increased after addition of CNC. The results suggest that as a green reinforcement for elaboration of biodegradable packaging, CNC is a good replacement for mineral reinforcement such as silicates.