ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by the sol-gel method. The nanoparticles were added to polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) biopolymer to compare the microstructural, mechanical, antibacterial and physical properties of bionanocomposite films reinforced with various loading contents (1, 3 and 5 wt %) and thicknesses (70, 100 and 130 μm). Results showed that with increasing ZnO content to 3 wt %, the tensile strength and Young's modulus increased by 64 and 72%, respectively. The least amount of water vapor permeability was also observed in the sample containing 5 wt % ZnO nanoparticles. Moreover, the antibacterial properties of the films improved with ZnO addition and increased by increasing nanoparticle content up to 5 wt %. However, the transparency of the PVA-based films decreased by ZnO addition.

Keywords