Development of a Nanocomposite Material Based on PCL/Zeolite-Supported Silver Nanoparticles for Active Food Packaging

In recent years, more and more researchers devote attention on the development and application ofbiodegradable, renewable, abundant, environmental-friendly and low-cost active packaging films, with appropriate antioxydante and antimicrobial properties. This paper focuses on developing composite poly (epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) membranes reinforced with silver-zeolite nanoparticles (AgZ) prepared by solvent casting method. The resulting structural, thermal and surface properties of the nanocomposite materials were studied by using experimental characterization techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, UV-visible spectrophotometry, X-Ray diffraction (XRD), contact angle (CA), atomic force microscopy (AFM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The water vapor permeability (WVP) and the mechanical properties have been investigated. Experimental results showed that AgZ nanoparticles were well dispersed into PCL matrix leading to thermally stable nanocomposites with semi-crystalline structure and hydrophilic surfaces. More importantly, the nanocomposite films showed good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enteric strains, demonstrating a potential application as an effective and safe packaging material to prolong the shelf life of food products.