Characterization of polylactic acid films reinforced with ZnO, TiO2 nanoparticles, and nanoclay for food packaging
摘要
This study focused on polylactic acid (PLA) films for food packaging applications, aiming to enhance their performance through the incorporation of zinc oxide nanoparticles, titanium dioxide nanoparticles, and nanoclay. The effects of these nanoparticles on the mechanical properties and fracture behavior of the films were systematically investigated. Since the fracture behavior of thin polymer films has been less explored in the literature, the Essential Work of Fracture (EWF) method was employed in this study to accurately evaluate the fracture parameters. Films with different compositions exhibit varying physical and mechanical properties. Identifying the optimal combination is possible using a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) approach by prioritizing relevant parameters. In this research, optimization was performed using the PROMETHEE multi-criteria decision-making method. The results showed that when all parameters were assigned equal importance, the film containing zinc oxide nanoparticles demonstrated the best performance. However, when the weights of the parameters were calculated using the Shannon entropy method, the film containing all three nanoparticles exhibited the best overall performance. On the whole, the addition of nanoparticles positively influenced the performance of the films; however, the optimal composition should be selected based on the specific packaging application and the manufacturer’s priorities.