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Performance of Poly(lactic acid) Surface Modified Films for Food Packaging Application
Valentina Siracusa1, Marco Dalla Rosa2, Alexey L Iordanskii3
1Department of Chemical Science, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania (CT), Italy. vsiracus@dmfci.unict.it.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|August 5, 2017
Summary
Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) films show improved gas barrier and mechanical properties after annealing and surface modification. Metallization further enhances these characteristics for food packaging applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Science
- Food Science
Background:
- Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a biodegradable polymer with potential for food packaging.
- Optimizing PLA's gas barrier, thermal, and mechanical properties is crucial for its widespread application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the gas barrier behavior, thermal stability, and mechanical performance of PLA films.
- To evaluate the impact of annealing, surface modification, and metallization on PLA properties for food packaging.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of five PLA film samples under various gas conditions (O₂, CO₂, N₂, N₂O, C₂H₄, Air, MA).
- Permeation kinetics studied at temperatures from 5 °C to 40 °C.
- Thermal properties (Tg, χc) and mechanical properties (tensile strength, modulus) were assessed.
Main Results:
- Annealing increased crystalline percentage, influencing gas solubility.
- Surface modification and metallization significantly improved thermal and mechanical properties, including tensile strength and modulus.
- Metallization provided a pronounced reinforcing effect and enhanced gas barrier performance.
- Films exhibited rigidity, with a ~20% elasticity loss after 25 tensile cycles.
Conclusions:
- Surface modification and annealing are effective strategies to enhance PLA film performance for food packaging.
- Metallization offers superior reinforcement and gas barrier properties.
- PLA films demonstrate suitable rigidity for packaging applications, though elasticity may decrease with repeated stress.
