Production of Oxidized Starch-Cellulose Based Antibacterial Nanomulching Film: Synthesis and Characterization

Abstract

Synthetic materials used to enhance the productivity of agricultural crops have, in turn, begun to exert negative impacts on soil ecology. This has led to an increased interest in environmentally safe biomaterials. In this context, an antibacterial biofilm was developed based on oxidized starch and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) as well as cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) derived from corn husk (CH). According to the obtained results, the film containing 3% CNFs exhibited the highest mechanical strength, reaching 3.87 MPa. To impart antibacterial properties to the resulting biofilm, different volumetric amounts of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) synthesized via a green method were incorporated. As a result, the biofilm containing 1 mL of CuNPs demonstrated the highest antibacterial activity. It was also found that, compared to the pristine film, the mechanical strength of the CuNPs-immobilized biofilm decreased by threefold, while its flexibility increased. The antibacterial biofilm was comparatively characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM, and TGA techniques, and its physicochemical properties were determined. The biodegradation behavior of the biofilm in soil was also investigated, revealing that 57% of its total mass degraded within 80 days. In this context, it was determined that the degradation of the biofilm did not significantly affect soil pH or the levels of macro- and microelements. Based on its physicochemical properties, the obtained biofilm demonstrates high potential for application in the agro-industrial sector as a mulching film, as well as in the production of food packaging materials and bioplastics.