Development and Characterization of Biobased Plastic Fabricated Using Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) (PVA) as Based Material

This chapter focuses on recent progress in reducing plastic waste by fabricating bioplastic reinforced with nanoparticles. Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) reinforced with incorporating single and hybrid nanofillers, which are of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA), cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), snail shell nanoparticles (SSN), and glycerol, were fabricated using the solvent casting method. The bioplastic films were produced from a combination of 7.5 wt.% PVA, the SSN, CNC, and glycerol concentration ranged from 0 to 5 wt.%. The effect of loading singular and hybrid nanofillers and glycerol on PVA evaluated tensile strength and modulus. The functional group and microstructural properties examined to determine the mechanism that governs the developed bioplastic strength and stiffness were discussed. The thermal properties, such as thermal stability and material degradation, were also examined. It was observed that hybridizing SSN and CNC at a lower loading of 2.5% has a positive effect on bioplastic films' tensile strength and modulus than incorporating singular nanofiller. Bioplastic film samples PVA 7.5%/ CNC 2.5/ SSN 2.5/ GLY 3.5 exhibited improved tensile strength and modulus of 32.5 MPa and 35.4 MPa. This improvement in bioplastic film resistance to external straining stress may be attributed to enhanced chemical linkage into chains of atoms of the identical element, which formed comparatively strong bonds to it along with other constituents. TEM and SEM images show a uniform distribution of nanofillers in the PVA matrix, forming a robust structure that resists external stresses, resulting in improved mechanical properties. FTIR spectrum provides carboxylic acids with single-bonded hydroxyl bending and carbon single-bonded oxygen stretching in-plane carbon as the function of a group of the developed bioplastic. Incorporating a hybrid nanofiller reduced material degradation and improved the thermal stability of the bioplastic films. All these improved properties suggested a bioplastic material for drug delivery packaging.