Nanoclays are also known as layered silicates
[1]. They are readily available, environmentally friendly and of low cost. As a filler with high stiffness, nanoclay improves the mechanical properties of the soft polymer matrix by impeding the free movement of polymer chains. Nanoclay also behaves like a load-bearing constituent if the interfacial adhesion between the filler and the chains is sufficiently strong
[2]. This was evidenced by the findings reported by Wahyuningtiyas and Suryanto
[3] in which the tensile strength of bioplastic increased from 5.2 MPa to 6.3 MPa in the presence of 5 wt.% nanoclay. Apart from that, the research team discovered that nanoclay could also increase the microbial decomposition rate of bioplastic. For example, only half of the time is required by bioplastic reinforced with nanoclay to fully decompose, compared to a 12-day decomposition period required by the non-reinforced bioplastic. The higher decomposition rate was attributed to the aluminium ions in nanoclay, which acted as Lewis acids to catalyse the hydrolysis process
[3]. Li et al.
[4] also reported the improvement of the tensile strength of bioplastic from 48.96 MPa to 64.75 MPa after the addition of 5 wt.% of MMT. One point to note is that susceptibility to agglomeration is the unavoidable problem associated with the utilization of nanofiller in polymers. Therefore, ultrasound treatment was employed in the reported studies to disperse the nanofillers in the starch matrix. Homogeneous dispersion of nanofiller in the starch matrix could ensure even transfer of stress between the matrix and the nanofiller, thus enhancing the mechanical properties of polymer nanocomposites
[4].
In order to utilize film for food packaging, oxygen and moisture transport must be minimized to extend food shelf-life
[5]. In addition to improved mechanical properties, it can be observed from
Table 1 that nanoclay showed barrier property (oxygen and moisture) improvement. Incorporation of nanoclay into the matrix would increase the path length and enhance the barrier properties of bioplastic to gases such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, organic vapours and moisture. The uniform dispersion of rigid impermeable nanoclay in the matrix might have hindered the diffusion of permeating molecules by forcing them to traverse and diffuse through a more tortuous path and thus reducing their mass transfer efficiency
[1][2]. The antimicrobial effect of nanoclay against bacteria could be related to the release of ammonium salts, which affects bacteria-sensitive targets
[6].
In the study by Liu et al.
[7], retrogradation behaviour of TPS film was investigated with different surface properties of nano-SiO
2. TPS film with hydrophilic nano-SiO
2 had a lower retrogradation rate than that with hydrophobic nano-SiO
2. During gelatinization of starch, the starch granules and crystalline structure were destroyed along with the breakdown of hydrogen bonds and the double helix structure. During short-term retrogradation, the amylose molecules started to crystallize and formed a crystal through a single helix structure. With longer retrogradation time, the amylopectin molecules gradually formed a crystal through a double helix structure. With the addition of nano-SiO
2, the starch structure would be affected through interaction between O-H groups of starch and nano-SiO
2. The addition of hydrophilic nano-SiO
2 produced a V-type starch with a single helix structure. Formation of hydrogen bonds between O-H groups of hydrophilic nano-SiO
2 and starch subsequently destructed the hydrogen bonds between the double helix structure of starch. In contrast, the double helix structure of starch remained with the addition of hydrophobic nano-SiO
2, which was conducive to the regular arrangement of the double helix structure for crystallization. This indicated that the retrogradation degree of TPS was larger with hydrophobic nano-SiO
2. Furthermore, the mobility of starch molecules was affected by the different surface properties of nano-SiO
2. Hydrophilic nano-SiO
2 has many O-H groups on its surface which could form hydrogen bonds with O-H groups of starch and reduce the mobility of starch molecules. On other hand, hydrophobic nano-SiO
2 could not react with starch molecules as there is no O-H group on its surface. Therefore, TPS with hydrophobic nano-SiO
2 had a higher retrogradation rate as a result of the faster movement of starch molecules during retrogradation.