Enhanced Thermal Stability and Antibacterial Properties of Biodegradable Chitosan Composite Films Reinforced With Clove Essential Oil and Graphene Oxide

Contamination by microorganisms presents a significant concern across various sectors, including healthcare and food packaging. To address this issue, this study develops a novel chitosan‐based composite film reinforced with clove essential oil (CEO) and graphene oxide (GO), exploring their synergistic effects to enhance antibacterial, mechanical, and thermal properties. The films are fabricated via solution casting and evaluated for antibacterial activity against Gram‐positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram‐negative Escherichia coli . Compared with pure chitosan films, the films reinforced with CEO and GO exhibit superior thermal stability, with a significant reduction in the loss factor from 1.7 to 0.14 and a notable increase in glass transition temperature from 131.8°C to 154.1°C. The composite films also retain their antibacterial efficacy over a 28‐day storage period, with a loss of viability of 38.1% ± 2.9% for E. coli and 40.2% ± 2.0% for S. aureus . Furthermore, the films exhibited a degradation rate of 46.1% ± 0.9% after 4 weeks under soil burial conditions, demonstrating their potential as environmentally sustainable materials. These findings establish CEO‐GO‐reinforced chitosan film as a promising thermally stable, biodegradable, and antibacterial material with potential applications in packaging and biomedical fields requiring enhanced durability, prolonged antibacterial efficacy, and environmental sustainability.