In this work, the effects of nano $TiO_2$ on functionality and stability of low density polyethylene (LDPE) composite films were investigated for food packaging application. LDPE-nano $TiO_2$ composite films were prepared with various $TiO_2$ contents...
In this work, the effects of nano $TiO_2$ on functionality and stability of low density polyethylene (LDPE) composite films were investigated for food packaging application. LDPE-nano $TiO_2$ composite films were prepared with various $TiO_2$ contents (0, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0 and 5.0wt%) by melt-extrusion and their basic properties such as crystallinity, chemical bonds and surface morphology were examined by XRD, FTIR and SEM. Ultraviolet (UV) light barrier property of as-prepared LDPE-nano $TiO_2$ composite films was also studied and the presence of nano $TiO_2$ resulted in significant improvement of UV light barrier compared to the pure LDPE film. To evaluate influence of nano $TiO_2$ on LDPE properties required as packaging material, thermal, mechanical, gas barrier and optical properties of LDPE-nano $TiO_2$ composite films were characterized with various analytical techniques including TGA, UTM, OTR, WVTR and UV-vis spectroscopy. As a result, except optical property of LDPE, no significant effects were found in other properties. Opacity of pure LDPE was greatly increased with increasing concentration of nano $TiO_2$.