Evaluation of vital features of PVA–CaCO3 nanocomposite films for biodegradable packaging applications

Environmental pollution due to non-biodegradable packaging materials is a menace. Hence, with a societal concern, an attempt was made through this paper to fabricate and evaluate pore-free nanocomposite films with PVA as the matrix with various wt% CaCO 3 as a nanofiller through various physical parameters for alternate biodegradable packaging. The films are fabricated by a solution casting method. Optical, morphological, structural and dielectric studies were made on the films. Improvements in mechanical and thermal properties were observed in the films because of CaCO 3 loading. Biodegradability of the composite films was immensely thus replacing the present non-biodegradable packaging materials. Increase in biodegradability with time and wt% of CaCO 3 was highlighted. The low dielectric constant combined with the biodegradable nature of the films might prove useful in microelectronic packaging and thin/foldable/wearable optoelectronics. The investigated properties of the films establish multifunctionality and merit applications in the designing of packaging materials. Graphical abstract