Improving the Barrier Properties of Food Packaging by Al2O3@ TiO2 & Al2O3@ SiO2 Nanoparticles

The film or coating is one of the vital components in food packaging systems; thereby, it is necessary to promote them with potent functions. Nanocomposite films based on carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) containing Al₂O₃@SiO₂ and Al₂O₃@TiO₂ nanoparticles were obtained by casting techniques. The synthesized materials were characterized by their morphology, size, and structure. Moisture absorption (MA), water vapor permeability (WVP), and gas transmission rate (GTR) were also measured to study the barrier properties of films. According to the results, the core-shell nanoparticles showed a smaller diameter, uniform dispersion, and no accumulation in the film matrix compared to the alumina allotropes (γ-,η-,α-Al₂O₃). The presence of Al₂O₃@SiO₂ and Al₂O₃@TiO₂ nanoparticles significantly regulated MA, WVP, and GTR compared to the allotropes. The most significant reduction in MA, WVP, and GTR belonged to the γ-Al₂O₃@SiO₂ (2.11%), η-Al₂O₃@TiO₂ (6.09 × 10⁻¹⁰ g/m s pa), and η-Al₂O₃@TiO₂ (0.21 cm³/m²d bar) respectively. To sum up, embedding core-shell nanoparticles within the matrix of polymeric films (CMC) can be a good idea to increase the efficacy of food packaging systems.