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Stanley J, Xanthopoulou E, Zemljič LF, Klonos PA, Kyritsis A, Lambropoulou DA, Bikiaris DN. Fabrication of Poly(ethylene furanoate)/Silver and Titanium Dioxide Nanocomposites with Improved Thermal and Antimicrobial Properties. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 17:1606. [PMID: 38612120 PMCID: PMC11012300 DOI: 10.3390/ma17071606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Poly(ethylene furanoate) (PEF)-based nanocomposites were fabricated with silver (Ag) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles by the in-situ polymerization method. The importance of this research work is to extend the usage of PEF-based nanocomposites with improved material properties. The PEF-Ag and PEF-TiO2 nanocomposites showed a significant improvement in color concentration, as determined by the color colorimeter. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) photographs revealed the appearance of small aggregates on the surface of nanocomposites. According to crystallinity investigations, neat PEF and nanocomposites exhibit crystalline fraction between 0-6%, whereas annealed samples showed a degree of crystallinity value above 25%. Combining the structural and molecular dynamics observations from broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) measurements found strong interactions between polymer chains and nanoparticles. Contact angle results exhibited a decrease in the wetting angle of nanocomposites compared to neat PEF. Finally, antimicrobial studies have been conducted, reporting a significant rise in inhibition of over 15% for both nanocomposite films against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. From the overall results, the synthesized PEF-based nanocomposites with enhanced thermal and antimicrobial properties may be optimized and utilized for the secondary packaging (unintended food-contact) materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan Stanley
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers and Colors, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; (J.S.); (E.X.)
| | - Eleftheria Xanthopoulou
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers and Colors, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; (J.S.); (E.X.)
| | - Lidija Fras Zemljič
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maribor, SI-2000 Maribor, Slovenia;
| | - Panagiotis A. Klonos
- Department of Physics, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, GR-15780 Athens, Greece; (P.A.K.); (A.K.)
| | - Apostolos Kyritsis
- Department of Physics, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, GR-15780 Athens, Greece; (P.A.K.); (A.K.)
| | - Dimitra A. Lambropoulou
- Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece;
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation (CIRI-AUTH), Balkan Center, GR-57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Dimitrios N. Bikiaris
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers and Colors, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; (J.S.); (E.X.)
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Stanley J, Xanthopoulou E, Finšgar M, Zemljič LF, Klonos PA, Kyritsis A, Koltsakidis S, Tzetzis D, Lambropoulou DA, Baciu D, Steriotis TA, Charalambopoulou G, Bikiaris DN. Synthesis of Poly(ethylene furanoate) Based Nanocomposites by In Situ Polymerization with Enhanced Antibacterial Properties for Food Packaging Applications. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:4502. [PMID: 38231946 PMCID: PMC10708257 DOI: 10.3390/polym15234502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PEF)-based nanocomposites containing Ce-bioglass, ZnO, and ZrO2 nanoparticles were synthesized via in situ polymerization, targeting food packaging applications. The nanocomposites were thoroughly characterized, combining a range of techniques. The successful polymerization was confirmed using attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, and the molecular weight values were determined indirectly by applying intrinsic viscosity measurements. The nanocomposites' structure was investigated by depth profiling using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), while color measurements showed a low-to-moderate increase in the color concentration of all the nanocomposites compared to neat PEF. The thermal properties and crystallinity behavior of the synthesized materials were also examined. The neat PEF and PEF-based nanocomposites show a crystalline fraction of 0-5%, and annealed samples of both PEF and PEF-based nanocomposites exhibit a crystallinity above 20%. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs revealed that active agent nanoparticles are well dispersed in the PEF matrix. Contact angle measurements showed that incorporating nanoparticles into the PEF matrix significantly reduces the wetting angle due to increased roughness and introduction of the polar -OH groups. Antimicrobial studies indicated a significant increase in inhibition of bacterial strains of about 9-22% for Gram-positive bacterial strains and 5-16% for Gram-negative bacterial strains in PEF nanocomposite films, respectively. Finally, nanoindentation tests showed that the ZnO-based nanocomposite exhibits improved hardness and elastic modulus values compared to neat PEF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan Stanley
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers and Colors, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; (J.S.); (E.X.)
| | - Eleftheria Xanthopoulou
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers and Colors, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; (J.S.); (E.X.)
| | - Matjaž Finšgar
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Maribor, SI-2000 Maribor, Slovenia;
| | - Lidija Fras Zemljič
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maribor, SI-2000 Maribor, Slovenia;
| | - Panagiotis A. Klonos
- Department of Physics, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, GR-15780 Athens, Greece; (P.A.K.); (A.K.)
| | - Apostolos Kyritsis
- Department of Physics, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, GR-15780 Athens, Greece; (P.A.K.); (A.K.)
| | - Savvas Koltsakidis
- Digital Manufacturing and Materials Characterization Laboratory, International Hellenic University, GR-57001 Thessaloniki, Greece; (S.K.); (D.T.)
| | - Dimitrios Tzetzis
- Digital Manufacturing and Materials Characterization Laboratory, International Hellenic University, GR-57001 Thessaloniki, Greece; (S.K.); (D.T.)
| | - Dimitra A. Lambropoulou
- Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece;
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation (CIRI-AUTH), Balkan Center, GR-57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Diana Baciu
- National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, GR-15341 Ag. Paraskevi Attikis, Greece; (D.B.); (T.A.S.); (G.C.)
| | - Theodore A. Steriotis
- National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, GR-15341 Ag. Paraskevi Attikis, Greece; (D.B.); (T.A.S.); (G.C.)
| | - Georgia Charalambopoulou
- National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, GR-15341 Ag. Paraskevi Attikis, Greece; (D.B.); (T.A.S.); (G.C.)
| | - Dimitrios N. Bikiaris
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers and Colors, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; (J.S.); (E.X.)
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