Reinforcing polyvinyl alcohol with corn stover-derived nanofibrillated cellulose for improved mechanical and barrier...

The growing demand for sustainable materials has accelerated the development of biodegradable composites, with cellulose-based materials gaining attention for their abundance, renewability, and biodegradability. The study explores the fabrication and characterization of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH)-based composite films reinforced with nano fibrillated cellulose (NFC) derived from corn stover (CS NFC). Composite films were prepared with varying PVOH: CS NFC ratios (99:1, 97:3, 95:5) and analyzed for their thermal, mechanical, barrier, and structural properties using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and ASTM-standard methods for physical and barrier property measurements. At 5% CS NFC loading, tensile strength increased by 22%, thermal stability improved, and barrier performance was enhanced. CS NFC-reinforced PVOH films showed significantly improved water barrier performance over other lignocellulosic fillers, achieving these without requiring extensive chemical modifications or complex processing steps. Furthermore, incorporating CS NFC resulted in outstanding oxygen barrier performance, outperforming all previously reported nanocellulose-reinforced systems. Overall, the results highlight the potential of CS NFC as a sustainable reinforcing agent in PVOH matrices, supporting the development of high-performance, biodegradable materials for use in active packaging, food wrapping films, and other applications requiring protection from oxygen exposure.