Toward sustainable biocomposites based on MMT and PHBH reinforced with acetylated cellulose nanocrystals

Sustainable biocomposites have been developed from poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBH) by solution-casting using montmorillonite (MMT) and acetylated cellulose nanocrystals (ACNs) as reinforcing agents. The morphological, thermal, crystallization behavior, tensile and barrier properties of biocomposites (A@MP) were evaluated. The morphological characterizations revealed the improved dispersion of ACNs in A@MP matrix. The ternary biocomposite showed up to 63.4% and 49 °C improvements in tensile strength and the maximum thermal decomposition temperature, respectively, compared to those of neat PHBH. Furthermore, the oxygen permeability (OP) and water vapor permeability (WVP) of A@MP with 2.5wt% ACN loading reached 0.60 × 103 mL·μm/m2·d·atm and 1.06 × 10–8 g/m·d·Pa, respectively. Overall, the research results have demonstrated the high potential of PHBH ternary biocomposite for food packaging applications.