Synthesis of MOF derived Nano-composites with PVA & Starch for Packaging application

Abstract

Bio nano-composites based packaging materials have a bright future for a broad range of applications in the food and biomedical industry. In addition to innovative active and intelligent packaging, bifunctional characteristics are also being developed. Considerable efforts have been made to utilize the unique properties of MOFs as energy materials in developing high performance catalyst material. A zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67) based (loading 2-10 wt.%), pre and post pyrolysis composite of poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) is studied as a model system to investigate the role of interfacial interaction in molecular packing, glass transition process and tensile properties. Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIF) is one of the potential candidates as a highly conducting network with large surface area. Furthermore, it has possibility to be used as the support for the packaging material. Molecular packing is changed throughout the polymer matrix with increase in additive loading. This happens because interparticle distance and interphase width becomes comparable. At the highest loading, PVA shows bulk glass transition temperature because of the non-significant volume fraction of interphase resulting from aggregation of ZIF. The best mechanical properties are exhibited by a moderate loading of pyrolyzed ZIF-67 i.e. at 4%. By comparing the maximum stress endured by membranes containing pyrolyzed and non pyrolyzed ZIF-67, the composites containing pyrolyzed ZIF are more strong. It can attributed to the stronger interactions between the exfoliated ions and the polymer matrix.