Assessing Nanostarch-Nanoclay Composite Film as a Potentially Durable Environmental-Friendly Packaging Material

The properties of the Nanoclay-corn starch film were studied in the presence of Nanostarch. Nanostarch was synthesized through nanoprecipitation and characterized using the Particle Size Distribution Analysis, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction Analysis (XRD), and Fourier Transform Infrared Analysis (FTIR). The XRD analysis of nanostarch particles revealed a distinctive V-type diffraction peak, with particle diameters ranging from 25 to 100 nm. The impact of introducing nanostarch into the starch-nanoclay film was investigated in terms of the thickness, transparency, morphology, wettability, and mechanical properties of the nanocomposite film. The results indicated that adding nanostarch particles improved the optical transparency of the film along with its hydrophobicity and flexibility. The film having a weight ratio of 0.769 (nanoclay to nanostarch) showed the maximum hydrophobicity (107.85°), and elongation at break (58.6%). This suggests that the appropriate incorporation of nanostarch can enhance the film’s flexibility. The maximum tensile strength (5.88 MPa) was obtained for the film with a weight ratio of 1 (nanoclay to nanostarch).