Development of Biocomposite Food Packaging Coating Material with Silane-treated Nanosilica and Grape Seed Oil Blended Vinyl Ester.

This research investigates how the thermal, electrical, and hydrophobic characteristics of a nanocomposite coating, which includes grape seed essential oil, are affected by the incorporation of silane-treated nanosilica. The main goal of the study is to create an environmentally friendly polymeric coating and evaluate how the inclusion of grape seed oil and nanosilica influences its performance. The nanosilica was silane-treated using 3-Aminopropyletrimethoxysilane and the coating materials were prepared using blend mixing and casting. Numerous characterizations such as mechanical, thermal, dielectric, hydrophobic and fractography were conducted on the coating material in accordance with ASTM standards and significant findings were obtained. The microstructural analysis via scanning electron microscopy indicated that grape seed oil dispersion is uniform and no distinct lumps identified. Further the nanosilica contributed to improved thermal stability of coating material while maintaining lower dielectric constant and water intake properties. The EOS3 composite coating containing 25 vol. % grape seed oil, with 5 vol. % of nanosilica provided the relative permittivity of 2.81, loss factor of 0.064 and thermal conductivity of 0.228 W/mK, which is equal to plain resin indicating the addition of nanosilica maintains lower permittivity and conductivity in-spite of grape seed oil addition. Moreover, the composite coating 'EOS3' provided high stability in thermal properties. Less mass loss of 2.16% with on-set initial decomposition temperature of 334°C were noted for EOS3 composite coating. The contact angle of 'EOS3' composite designation provided 74°, which is reasonably higher on compare with plain resin indicating still the composites are close to hydrophobic range. Finally, EOS2 (25 vol. % grape seed oil + 3 vol. % nanosilica) delivers better mechanical performance with maximum tensile strength of 59MPa. These bio-oil bended and nanosilica toughened vinyl ester based composite coating materials could be used in food packaging, medical industries and protection of metallic and non-metallic substrates for healthy life span with eco-friendliness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]