ZnO reinforced PHBV (polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate) nanocomposites

International Conference and Exhibition on Biopolymers & Bioplastics

August 10-12, 2015 San Francisco, USA

Tugce Bekat and M Oner

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Material Sci Eng

Abstract :

Although polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are promising candidates for future bio-based packaging, some properties of these
polymers currently limit their industrialization. Especially for the polymers intended for food packaging exhibiting good gas
barrier properties is essential since the polymeric material is expected to preserve food from microbial and chemical spoilage during
its shelf life. For the purpose of decreasing oxygen permeability of polyhdroxybutyrate-co-valerate (PHBV, a biopolymer from PHA
family) nanocomposites were produced by the incorporation of rod-shaped ZnOnano-crystals. ZnO crystals with varying size and
aspect ratios were synthesized in our lab by chemical precipitation method. PHBV/ZnO nanocomposites of different compositions
were produced by melt-extrusion method. The effects of ZnO particles and their aspect ratios on the oxygen barrier property of
the composites were investigated. Compatibility of permeability change with changing aspect ratio to the models in the literature
like Nielsen and Bharadwaj were investigated. Nanocomposites were also characterized structurally using SEM, FT-IR and XRD
techniques.