Fabrication and Characterization of Sustainable Multifunctional Films Based on Carboxymethyl Cellulose and Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) Doped with TiO2 Nanoparticles and Silicone Microemulsion

Abstract This study reports a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite film that incorporates titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO 2 NPs) and silicone microemulsion (SiME). Mechanical properties are used as a judgment tool to select the optimum ratio of the CMC/PVA. Different experiments are used to fully investigate the morphological, physical, hydrophilic, and antimicrobial properties of CMC/PVA loaded with 1% TiO 2 NPs composite films with various SiME concentrations (1, 3, and 5%). Higher SiEM concentrations significantly affect the composite films’ structure and surface morphology. Fourier Transforms Infrared Spectroscopy–Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR–ATR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirm the structural interactions among CMC, PVA, TiO 2 NPs, and SiEM. Furthermore, the addition of SiEM was playing a role in improving films mechanical, microstructure, and wettability. Increasing the concentration of SiEM to 5% decreases the contact angle from 61.72° to 25.46° this due to the film surface roughness. Remarkably, 3 and 5% SiEM incorporation significantly improves the inhibition ability of the CMC/PVA composite films against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and unicellular and filamentous fungi as well. CMC/PVA composite film containing 1% TiO 2 NPs and 5% SiEM exhibits functional properties for hydrophobic broad-spectrum antimicrobial applications. Additionally, the MIC values for bacterial strains, unicellular fungi, and filamentous fungi were recorded as a maximum of 3.125, 6.25, and 12.5 mg/mL, respectively. This work highlights the use of biopolymers in a new approach for the fabrication of new multifunctional films, which are suitable for large-scale production and multipurpose applications.