1. Cellulose Nanocrystals/ZnO as a Bifunctional Reinforcing Nanocomposite for Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Chitosan Blend Films: Fabrication, Characterization and Properties
- Author
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Susan Azizi, Mansor Bin Ahmad, Farideh Namvar, Nor Azowa Ibrahim, and Mohd Zobir Hussein
- Subjects
Vinyl alcohol ,Staphylococcus aureus ,Materials science ,Surface Properties ,Catalysis ,Article ,Nanocomposites ,Inorganic Chemistry ,Chitosan ,lcsh:Chemistry ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Salmonella ,Elastic Modulus ,Tensile Strength ,Ultimate tensile strength ,Thermal stability ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ,Bifunctional ,Cellulose ,Molecular Biology ,bi-functional filler ,lcsh:QH301-705.5 ,Spectroscopy ,cellulose nanocrystals ,biocomposites ,Nanocomposite ,poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan blend ,UV absorption ,Organic Chemistry ,General Medicine ,Computer Science Applications ,Solvent ,chemistry ,Chemical engineering ,lcsh:Biology (General) ,lcsh:QD1-999 ,Polyvinyl Alcohol ,Nanoparticles ,Polymer blend ,Zinc Oxide - Abstract
In this study, cellulose nanocrystals/zinc oxide (CNCs/ZnO) nanocomposites were dispersed as bifunctional nano-sized fillers into poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and chitosan (Cs) blend by a solvent casting method to prepare PVA/Cs/CNCs/ZnO bio-nanocomposites films. The morphology, thermal, mechanical and UV-vis absorption properties, as well antimicrobial effects of the bio-nanocomposite films were investigated. It demonstrated that CNCs/ZnO were compatible with PVA/Cs and dispersed homogeneously in the polymer blend matrix. CNCs/ZnO improved tensile strength and modulus of PVA/Cs significantly. Tensile strength and modulus of bio-nanocomposite films increased from 55.0 to 153.2 MPa and from 395 to 932 MPa, respectively with increasing nano-sized filler amount from 0 to 5.0 wt %. The thermal stability of PVA/Cs was also enhanced at 1.0 wt % CNCs/ZnO loading. UV light can be efficiently absorbed by incorporating ZnO nanoparticles into a PVA/Cs matrix, signifying that these bio-nanocomposite films show good UV-shielding effects. Moreover, the biocomposites films showed antibacterial activity toward the bacterial species Salmonella choleraesuis and Staphylococcus aureus. The improved physical properties obtained by incorporating CNCs/ZnO can be useful in variety uses.
- Published
- 2014