Morphological, Mechanical, and Antimicrobial Properties of PBAT/Poly(methyl methacrylate-co-maleic anhydride)–SiO(2) Composite Films for Food Packaging Applications

A poly(methyl methacrylate-co-maleic anhydride) P(MMA-co-MA) copolymer was synthesized via radical polymerization. The synthesized P(MMA-co-MA) copolymer was identified by (1)H- and (13)C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-NMR), ((13)C-NMR), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT)/P(MMA-co-MA)–SiO(2) composites were developed using a solution-casting method. The PBAT to P(MMA-co-MA) weight ratio was kept at 70:30, while the weight percentage of SiO(2) nanoparticles (NPs) was varied from 0.0 to 5.0 wt.%. SiO(2) was used for PBAT/P(MMA-co-MA) to solve the compatibility between PBAT and the P(MMA-co-MA) matrix. The PBAT/P(MMA-co-MA)–SiO(2) composites were characterized by studied FTIR spectroscopy, XRD, SEM, and TEM. A comparison of the composite film PBAT/P(MMA-co-MA)–SiO(2) (PBMS-3) with the virgin PBAT and P(MMA-co-MA) film revealed its good tensile strength (19.81 MPa). The WVTR and OTR for the PBAT/P(MMA-co-MA)–SiO(2) composites were much smaller than for PBAT/P(MMA-co-MA). The PBAT/P(MMA-co-MA)–SiO(2) WVTR and OTR values of the composites were 318.9 ± 2.0 (cc m(−2) per 24 h) and 26.3 ± 2.5 (g m(−2) per 24 h). The hydrophobicity of the PBAT/P(MMA-co-MA) blend and PBAT/P(MMA-co-MA)–SiO(2) composites was strengthened by the introduction of SiO(2), as measured by the water contact angle. The PBAT/P(MMA-co-MA)–SiO(2) composite films showed excellent antimicrobial activity against the food-pathogenic bacteria E. coli and S. aureus from the area of inhibition. Overall, the improved packaging characteristics, such as flexibility, tensile strength, low O(2) and H(2)O transmission rate, and good antimicrobial activities, give the PBAT/P(MMA-co-MA)–SiO(2) composite film potential for use in food packaging applications.