Bionic porous konjac glucomannan/polylactic acid - based composite film: Synergistic functional design for...

Inspired by the pore structure of plant leaves, this study fabricates a konjac glucomannan/polylactic acid (KGM/PLA)-based composite film that mimics the passive thermal regulation mechanism of natural stomata, enabling highly efficient cooling. By integrating xanthan gum (XG)-stabilized KGM/PLA matrices and hexadecyltrimethoxysilane-carvacrol@zinc oxide/cellulose nanocrystal nanosheets (HDTMS-CRV@ZnO/CNC NSs), the composite film exhibits potent antibacterial activity (25.22 ± 1.5 mm inhibition zone against Staphylococcus aureus) and extends produce shelf life by over 7 days. The film also demonstrates outstanding optical properties, achieving 91.06 % solar reflectance (0.3-2.5 μm) and 91.40 % infrared emissivity (8-13 μm), which enables sub-ambient cooling of ∼10 °C under sunlight. Practical tests show the film maintains an internal temperature of 27.18 °C at 35 °C ambient conditions, effectively preserving the freshness of strawberries and tomatoes compared to deteriorated control samples. This work presents an innovative approach to intelligent food packaging, combining preservation functionality and environmental adaptability for sustainable food storage applications.