Properties of UV protective films of poly(vinyl-chloride)/TiO2 nanocomposites for food packaging

This work studies the UV protection properties of poly(vinyl-chloride) (PVC) nanocomposites. A functional property of UV protection is achieved by adding the active component (titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) or titanium dioxide modified with silver nitrate and copper nitrate) to the PVC matrix. PVC nanocomposites were prepared by extrusion and then pressed into films. Prepared PVC nanocomposites were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, UV–Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical properties and antimicrobial activity were also studied. The results show that PVC nanocomposites’ thermal stability is improved in relation to a pure PVC polymer. The thermal stability and antimicrobial efficiency increase when higher silver nitrate content is used. The sample prepared with silver and copper nitrate shows the best thermal stability due to a modified mechanism of thermal degradation. Samples where nanoparticles are homogeneously dispersed in the polymer matrix show good mechanical properties. The results also show that adding the active component TiO 2 modified with silver ions contributes to the improved UV protection property of nanocomposite materials.