Effect of low concentrations of SiO2 nanoparticles on the physical and chemical properties of sodium alginate-based films

Luís Marangoni Júnior; Renan Garcia da Silva; Carlos Alberto Rodrigues Anjos; Roniérik Pioli Vieira; Rosa Maria Vercelino Alves

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118286

Effect of low concentrations of SiO₂ nanoparticles on the physical and chemical properties of sodium alginate-based films

Carbohydr Polym. 2021 Oct 1:269:118286. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118286. Epub 2021 Jun 2.

Authors

Luís Marangoni Júnior¹, Renan Garcia da Silva², Carlos Alberto Rodrigues Anjos³, Roniérik Pioli Vieira⁴, Rosa Maria Vercelino Alves⁵

Affiliations

¹ Packaging Technology Center, Institute of Food Technology, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Food Engineering and Technology, School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: marangoni.junior@hotmail.com.
² Packaging Technology Center, Institute of Food Technology, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Bioprocess and Materials Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
³ Department of Food Engineering and Technology, School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁴ Department of Bioprocess and Materials Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁵ Packaging Technology Center, Institute of Food Technology, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.

PMID: 34294312
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118286

Abstract

This work investigated the effect of adding low concentrations of nano-SiO₂ (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5%) in the properties of films based on sodium alginate, to identify lower thresholds in the proportion of the reinforcing agent. It was found that, even in the smallest proportion, thermal stability of the nanocomposites improved significantly (with degradation onset increased by almost 15% compared with the control film). The surface morphology showed pronounced roughness at nano-SiO₂ concentrations greater than 1.0%, indicating agglomeration of part of the nanomaterial. Mechanical properties were reduced for the samples with concentrations equal to 1.0 and 1.5%, however, without significant differences between them. Conversely, water vapor and light barrier properties have not undergone significant changes in any formulation. Therefore, the use of 0.5% nano-SiO₂ in alginate films would be an easy and economically interesting way to improve thermal stability, without significantly reducing mechanical properties of the pure material.

Keywords: Bio-based film; Food packaging; Nanocomposite; Thermal stability.