Development of biodegradable PLA/Nanoclay/ZnO polymer films for future Industrial packaging applications

In this work, Packaging films of Nanoclay and Zincoxide incorporated Polylactic acid were prepared at weight percentages of 2 wt% and 5 wt% by cost effective method. Nanocomposite films were created employing a solvent casting procedure and an affordable film applicator. The zincoxide nanoparticles canbe used in food packaging because of its high antibacterial properties. The prepared films were characterized using XRD, SEM, Thermal analyzer and Tensile test. The examination of surface morphology showed that fillers aggregated at higher weight percentages and mixed uniformly at smaller weight percentages. The inclusion of nanoparticles could not significantly change the produced films' crystallinity. In the PLA matrix, nanoparticles added at a concentration of 2 wt% greatly improved the mechanical and thermal properties. The prepared films are thermally stable up to 300 °C, their glass transition temperature starts around 65 °C, and melting point starts around 160 °C. The mechanical properties of all the films were analyzed according ATMD882 standard. The highest tensile strength of 22 MPa was observed for 2 wt% of ZnO incorporation in the PLA. Furthermore, at 2 wt% of ZnO in the PLA, it has shown the highest yield strength of 11 MPa.This study proposes a cost-effective method for producing biodegradable Polylactic acid films at room temperature; this technique will be useful for many future packaging applications involving biodegradable plastics.