Fabrication and characterization of pullulan-based nanocomposites reinforced with montmorillonite and tempo cellulose nanofibril

Abstract

Nanocomposite film of pullulan (PULL), tempo cellulose nanofibrils (TOCNs) and, montmorillonite clay (MMT) were prepared using a solution casting method with aqueous solutions. X-ray diffraction data revealed that exfoliated MMT nanoplatelets are distributed within the PULL/TOCNs/MMT film structure. Fourier-transform infrared results revealed that there might be interactions among the TOCNs, MMT and PULL matrix led to improved tensile strength, thermal stability, water barrier properties, and decrease moisture susceptibility while maintained reasonable transparency and biodegradability of the ternary PULL nanocomposites. These excellent properties of the nanocomposites clearly indicate towards a new strategy for developing high-performance PULL-based nanocomposites by using two different types of fillers with various geometric shapes and aspect ratio. This kind of ternary nanocomposite film can be broadly used in food packaging and protection as a green and biodegradable film.

Keywords: Biodegradability; Montmorillonite; Nanocomposite film; Pullulan; Tempo cellulose nanofibrils; Thermal and mechanical properties.