ABSTRACT The development of high‐performance biodegradable active packaging materials is essential for reducing environmental impact while improving food preservation. In this study, a synergistic polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)‐based coating system was developed by incorporating structurally engineered antioxidant‐loaded silica particles. Two types of functional carriers were synthesized through a surfactant‐free self‐assembly strategy: (i) BHT‐loaded silica nanocapsules (BHT@SiO 2 ‐NC) with dense core–shell structures derived from Ph8‐PEOS, and (ii) BHA‐loaded silica aerogel microparticles (BHA@SiO 2 ‐AP) with porous spherical architectures derived from Ph8‐PEG6‐PEOS. The selection of organosilicon precursors was guided by the distinct melting points of BHT and BHA, enabling optimized encapsulation and controlled release behavior. The particles were incorporated into the PVA matrix at loadings of 25–75 wt% to form composite coatings. Structural characterization confirmed well‐defined nanocapsules and highly porous aerogel networks. BET analysis revealed that aerogel particles possessed high surface area, which decreased after BHA loading due to pore occupation, whereas the dense‐shell nanocapsules exhibited the lowest surface area. The BHA@SiO 2 ‐AP system significantly reinforced the PVA matrix, increasing fracture stress and elongation at break by 79.8% and 61.3% at 25 wt%, while also enabling tunable air permeability from 1.2 to 42.52 L·m −2 ·s −1 . In contrast, BHT@SiO 2 ‐NC primarily functioned as a controlled antioxidant carrier with limited influence on mechanical and barrier properties. Importantly, sustained antioxidant activity over 14 days was achieved through complementary mechanisms: release‐adsorption synergy from porous BHA aerogels and diffusion‐controlled release from BHT nanocapsules. This study demonstrates a versatile strategy for engineering multifunctional biodegradable coatings with tunable mechanical performance, gas permeability, and controlled antioxidant release for advanced food packaging applications.
Song et al. (Mon,) studied this question.