Synergistic reinforcement of PVA films with boric acid and nano-silica for high-barrier food packaging

The increasing environmental crisis caused by the extensive use of disposable plastics highlights the pressing demand for sustainable options. This research investigates an innovative method for enhancing the traits of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) through the addition of boric acid (BA) as a crosslinking...

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Main Authors: Xinyu Xu, Siqi Xie, Baoying Shi, Di Wu, Yu Lin, Qiaohui Zhi, Yufeng Wang, Haiyan Song
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:Polymer Testing
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142941825002004
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author Xinyu Xu
Siqi Xie
Baoying Shi
Di Wu
Yu Lin
Qiaohui Zhi
Yufeng Wang
Haiyan Song
author_facet Xinyu Xu
Siqi Xie
Baoying Shi
Di Wu
Yu Lin
Qiaohui Zhi
Yufeng Wang
Haiyan Song
author_sort Xinyu Xu
collection DOAJ
description The increasing environmental crisis caused by the extensive use of disposable plastics highlights the pressing demand for sustainable options. This research investigates an innovative method for enhancing the traits of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) through the addition of boric acid (BA) as a crosslinking agent, along with γ-aminopropyl triethoxysilane modified nano-silica (NS) to refine the polymer matrix. The research focuses on the PVA/BA/NS composite film, examining its chemical structure, surface morphology, thermal stability, mechanical strength, gas barrier properties, surface wettability and UV-blocking ability. The results demonstrate that the overall performance of the composite film is significantly enhanced through the synergistic effects of boric acid (BA) and NS, achieved via crosslinking, nanofiller reinforcement, and structural optimization. The PVA/BA/NS composite films shown notable improvements in oxygen, water vapor barrier qualities, and mechanical strength. Furthermore, the addition of nano-silica greatly improved the films' surface hydrophobic qualities, improving their suitability for food packaging. Notably, the tensile resistance of the composite film improved by about 60 % relative to the PVA film, exceeding the findings of comparable research. Additionally, oxygen barrier performance improved by approximately 68 %, highlighting a significant enhancement. Furthermore, it was noteworthy that UV-blocking ability of the composite film had also been markedly enhanced. These improvements are essential for developing food packaging materials that offer better protection and longer shelf life for perishable products, while maintaining quality and safety for consumers. The results convincingly indicate that the environmentally friendly composite films created in this research possess considerable promise for use in food packaging applications.
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issn 1873-2348
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publishDate 2025-09-01
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spelling doaj-art-aefd1ac5b56441a79a422b09968b80e82025-08-20T04:02:23ZengElsevierPolymer Testing1873-23482025-09-0115010888610.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108886Synergistic reinforcement of PVA films with boric acid and nano-silica for high-barrier food packagingXinyu Xu0Siqi Xie1Baoying Shi2Di Wu3Yu Lin4Qiaohui Zhi5Yufeng Wang6Haiyan Song7State Key Laboratory of Bio-based Fiber Materials, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Bio-based Fiber Materials, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457, ChinaTianjin Tianshi College, Tianjin, 301700, China; Corresponding author.State Key Laboratory of Bio-based Fiber Materials, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Bio-based Fiber Materials, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457, ChinaHebei Beiren New Material Technology Co., LTD, Xingtai, 055150, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Bio-based Fiber Materials, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457, China; Corresponding author.State Key Laboratory of Bio-based Fiber Materials, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457, China; Corresponding author.The increasing environmental crisis caused by the extensive use of disposable plastics highlights the pressing demand for sustainable options. This research investigates an innovative method for enhancing the traits of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) through the addition of boric acid (BA) as a crosslinking agent, along with γ-aminopropyl triethoxysilane modified nano-silica (NS) to refine the polymer matrix. The research focuses on the PVA/BA/NS composite film, examining its chemical structure, surface morphology, thermal stability, mechanical strength, gas barrier properties, surface wettability and UV-blocking ability. The results demonstrate that the overall performance of the composite film is significantly enhanced through the synergistic effects of boric acid (BA) and NS, achieved via crosslinking, nanofiller reinforcement, and structural optimization. The PVA/BA/NS composite films shown notable improvements in oxygen, water vapor barrier qualities, and mechanical strength. Furthermore, the addition of nano-silica greatly improved the films' surface hydrophobic qualities, improving their suitability for food packaging. Notably, the tensile resistance of the composite film improved by about 60 % relative to the PVA film, exceeding the findings of comparable research. Additionally, oxygen barrier performance improved by approximately 68 %, highlighting a significant enhancement. Furthermore, it was noteworthy that UV-blocking ability of the composite film had also been markedly enhanced. These improvements are essential for developing food packaging materials that offer better protection and longer shelf life for perishable products, while maintaining quality and safety for consumers. The results convincingly indicate that the environmentally friendly composite films created in this research possess considerable promise for use in food packaging applications.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142941825002004Polyvinyl alcoholBoric acidNano-silicaComposite filmFood packaging
spellingShingle Xinyu Xu
Siqi Xie
Baoying Shi
Di Wu
Yu Lin
Qiaohui Zhi
Yufeng Wang
Haiyan Song
Synergistic reinforcement of PVA films with boric acid and nano-silica for high-barrier food packaging
Polymer Testing
Polyvinyl alcohol
Boric acid
Nano-silica
Composite film
Food packaging
title Synergistic reinforcement of PVA films with boric acid and nano-silica for high-barrier food packaging
title_full Synergistic reinforcement of PVA films with boric acid and nano-silica for high-barrier food packaging
title_fullStr Synergistic reinforcement of PVA films with boric acid and nano-silica for high-barrier food packaging
title_full_unstemmed Synergistic reinforcement of PVA films with boric acid and nano-silica for high-barrier food packaging
title_short Synergistic reinforcement of PVA films with boric acid and nano-silica for high-barrier food packaging
title_sort synergistic reinforcement of pva films with boric acid and nano silica for high barrier food packaging
topic Polyvinyl alcohol
Boric acid
Nano-silica
Composite film
Food packaging
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142941825002004
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