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Effects of PE-g-MA on tensile, thermal, surface, barrier properties, and morphology of plasticized LDPE/chitosan films

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Abstract

In this work, low-density polyethylene (LDPE)/chitosan (CH) blend films were prepared using polyethylene-graft-maleic-anhydride (PE-g-MA) as a compatibilizing agent for improving the interfacial adhesion. The effects of PE-g-MA concentration on the plasticized LDPE/CH blend films were investigated. The films were characterized by mechanical, thermal, hydrophobicity, structural, and permeability analyses. The results showed that CH and PEG (P) addition into PE had a reducing effect on tensile strength but, addition of the compatibilizer improved this property. Tensile strength value increased by about 16% in PE/CH/PE-g-MA film with only 5 wt% MA addition compared to pure PE film. Flexibility was sharply affected by the incorporation of CH while it increased with the use of PEG and PE-g-MA. Thermal stability recovered with the use of PE-g-MA compared to the plasticized PE/CH film. The crystallinity increased with the incorporation of CH. Contact angle and water permeability increased with CH and PEG addition to PE and reduced with the addition of PE-g-MA. Oxygen permeability decreased by about 50% with the addition of CH into PE. FTIR analysis indicated that there is an interaction between amino groups of CH and maleic anhydride groups. The use of PEG and PE-g-MA improved the compatibility of the PE/CH blends as showed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This study revealed that PE-g-MA had obvious positive effects on the mechanical, thermal, barrier, and structural properties of PE/CH blend films. The blend films can be a good candidate in the packaging industry due to biodegradable and non-toxic properties of chitosan.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Scientific Research Center of Kocaeli University (KOU-BAP) for the financial support (Project No: 2019/042-00).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Hacettepe University, Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey

    Hulya Sema Koker & Hülya Yavuz Ersan

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Kocaeli University, 41380, İzmit, Kocaeli, Turkey

    Ayse Aytac

  3. Department of Polymer Science and Technology, Kocaeli University, İzmit, Kocaeli, Turkey

    Ayse Aytac

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  1. Hulya Sema Koker
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Correspondence to Ayse Aytac.

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Koker, H.S., Yavuz Ersan, H. & Aytac, A. Effects of PE-g-MA on tensile, thermal, surface, barrier properties, and morphology of plasticized LDPE/chitosan films. Iran Polym J 32, 263–273 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13726-022-01123-y

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