Synergistic reinforcing effect of TiO2 and montmorillonite on potato starch nanocomposite films: Thermal, mechanical and barrier properties.

In this study, ternary potato starch (PS) bionanocomposite films containing two types of nanoparticles, sodium montmorillonite (MMT), one-dimensional (1D) clay platelets, (3 and 5wt%) and TiO2, three-dimensional (3D) nanospheres, (0.5, 1 and 2wt%), are prepared using solvent casting method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) test confirms the completely exfoliated structure formed in the PS-MMT nanocomposites containing 3 and 5% MMT. The success of the formation of new hydrogen bonds between the hydroxyl groups of starch and nanofillers is confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (EB), glass transition temperature (Tg), and melting point (Tm) of the films are also enhanced after MMT and TiO2 incorporation. The water vapor permeability (WVP) and the visible, UVA, UVB and UVC lights transmittance decreases upon TiO2 and MMT content increasing. Generally, a synergistic effect is observed between MMT and TiO2 at lower concentrations of MMT.