Abstract The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of LAPONITE® addition on mechanical, surface and barrier properties of kafirin films. Kafirin was extracted using 70% ethanol, sodium metabisulphite and glacial acetic acid at 70 °C, which gave it a less hydrophobic character compared to earlier studies as determined using water contact angle (WCA) and secondary structure analysis through FTIR. Kafirin was then plasticized with equal concentration of lactic acid, glycerol and poly ethylene glycol and then loaded with different concentrations of LAPONITE® (1, 3, 5 and 10% by weight). Kafirin nanocomposite films were characterized using FTIR, water vapor permeability (WVP), water contact angle (WCA), mechanical properties, optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Collectively these measurements helped understand the interaction of LAPONITE® with kafirin in the film matrix. The α-helix and β-sheet content correlated with the relative hydrophilicity. Addition of LAPONITE® into kafirin films made the films stronger and less ductile while the WVP did not show any significant change. The new information obtained from this study can help in fabricating improved biodegradable films that can be used in various packaging, coating, biomedical and other functional film applications.

中文翻译：

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添加 LAPONITE® 对新型可生物降解 Kafirin 纳米复合薄膜的机械、阻隔和表面性能的影响

摘要 本研究的目的是评估添加 LAPONITE® 对卡非林薄膜的机械、表面和阻隔性能的影响。Kafirin 使用 70% 乙醇、焦亚硫酸氢钠和冰醋酸在 70 °C 下提取，与使用水接触角 (WCA) 和通过 FTIR 进行二级结构分析确定的早期研究相比，这使它具有较低的疏水性。然后用等浓度的乳酸、甘油和聚乙二醇对 Kafirin 进行增塑，然后加入不同浓度的 LAPONITE®（1、3、5 和 10% 重量百分比）。Kafirin 纳米复合薄膜使用 FTIR、水蒸气渗透率 (WVP)、水接触角 (WCA)、机械性能、光学显微镜和透射电子显微镜 (TEM) 进行表征。总的来说，这些测量有助于了解 LAPONITE® 与薄膜基质中卡非林的相互作用。α-螺旋和β-折叠的含量与相对亲水性相关。将 LAPONITE® 添加到 Kafirin 薄膜中使薄膜更坚固且延展性更差，而 WVP 没有显示任何显着变化。从这项研究中获得的新信息有助于制造改进的可生物降解薄膜，可用于各种包装、涂层、生物医学和其他功能性薄膜应用。