Evaluation of the physicochemical properties of biopolymer based films with nano materials

Abstract

Alginate is a polysaccharide, which comes from the family of brown seaweed phaeophyceae. Nanoclay is a polymer medium strengthened with a platelet, particle or fiber, which encompass only 1 dimension on the nanometer scale. [It] is a mixture of materials made from polymer nanocomposites. This research project examined the physicochemical properties of biopolymer based films made from alginate and different concentrations of nano materials plasticized with sorbitol. The moisture uptake and water vapor permeability was examined, which revealed that incorporation of nano composite lowered the moisture sorption and WVP, however the concentrations of nanofiller did not have a significant importance. While for the mechanical properties films with two different sizes ( 35-45 wt. % dim ethyl dialkyl (C14 - C18) amine surface modified)(0.5 - 5 wt. % aminopropylo - triethoxylisane, 15-35 wt % octadecylamine) nanoclays were tested. Both types of nanofiller had a positive effect on the EB%, seeming as it increased it, however up to 30%, after it had an adverse effect which decreased the EB% of the films.