Production of Boron Carbon Nitride Added Poly(Lactic) Acid Films for Active Food Packaging

Abstract

In this study, poly (lactic acid) (PLA) composites reinforced with boron carbon nitride (BCN) were prepared by the solution casting technique. The synthesized BCN additive was added to PLA plasticized with polyethylene glycol (PEG) at different rates (0.5%, 0.7%, 1%, and 2%). Then, thermal, mechanical, chemical, and morphological tests were carried out for characterization of produced PLA/PEG/BCN films. In addition, the contact angle, antibacterial activity, and water vapor permeability properties of films that can be used as activated packaging were investigated. In the tensile test, it was determined that the tensile strength improved up to 1 wt.% BCN loading rate. TGA analysis showed that the thermal resistance of the films was improved with the addition of BCN. As a result of XRD analysis, it was observed that the increasing BCN amount did not significantly affect the crystallinity of composites. The use of BCN in films improved the hydrophilic properties by increasing the wettability of the films to water. Antibacterial analyses have revealed that the pure PLA/PEG and BCN-doped films have shown higher antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria compared to Escherichia coli bacteria. These findings indicate that BCN-doped PLA/PEG films provide promising properties, especially for active packaging and other applications.