Thermal study of poly-lactic acid and montmorillonite-based nanocomposite for use in food packaging

Authors

  • Silvia Carichino University of Salento, Department of Engineering for Innovation, Edificio P, Campus Ecotekne, s.p. 6 Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce (LE), Italy
  • Francesca Ferrari University of Salento, Department of Engineering for Innovation, Edificio P, Campus Ecotekne, s.p. 6 Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce (LE), Italy
  • Francesca Lionetto University of Salento, Department of Engineering for Innovation, Edificio P, Campus Ecotekne, s.p. 6 Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce (LE), Italy
  • Carola Esposito Corcione University of Salento, Department of Engineering for Innovation, Edificio P, Campus Ecotekne, s.p. 6 Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce (LE), Italy
  • Alfonso Maffezzoli University of Salento, Department of Engineering for Innovation, Edificio P, Campus Ecotekne, s.p. 6 Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce (LE), Italy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14311/AP.2026.66.0334

Keywords:

polylactid acid, food packaging, nanocomposite, modified montmorillonite

Abstract

PLA is a biodegradable and bio-based polymer that is used in many applications, including food packaging. The high brittleness of the material can be overcome by adding of specific plasticisers, which make PLA more suitable for flexible applications. This work is aimed at studying the production and the characterisation of PLA/montmorillonite nanocomposite films, plasticised with polyethylene glycol (PEG) of two different molecular weights. In order to improve the compatibility of the nanofiller with the polymer, cocamidopropyl betaine (CAB), a bio-based compound extracted from coconut oil, was used as an organic modifier. Different methods were used to optimise the dispersion of the filler in the polymer. Thermal characterisation was then carried out on all the produced films in order to evaluate the plasticisation effect, the crystallinity, and the thermal stability of the materials. In addition, the plasticising effect was confirmed by determining Young modulus through tensile tests. With the aim of being used in food packaging, the material must be transparent, and therefore an analysis of the colour was performed on all the produced films. Finally, ageing tests were conducted in order to calculate the diffusion coefficient of the plasticisers, which is indicates their migration from the PLA.

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Published

2026-07-10

Issue

Vol. 66 No. 3 (2026)

Section

Chemical and Process Engineering

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Silvia Carichino, Francesca Ferrari, Francesca Lionetto, Carola Esposito Corcione, Alfonso Maffezzoli

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Carichino, S., Ferrari, F., Lionetto, F., Esposito Corcione, C., & Maffezzoli, A. (2026). Thermal study of poly-lactic acid and montmorillonite-based nanocomposite for use in food packaging. Acta Polytechnica, 66(3), 334-343. https://doi.org/10.14311/AP.2026.66.0334