Development of polylactic acid (PLA) bio-composite films reinforced with bacterial cellulose nanocrystals (BCNC) without any surface modification

In this work, polylactic acid (PLA) matrix was reinforced with bacterial cellulose nanocrystals (BCNC) to form bio-composite films. The films were produced via two step processes; (1) isolation of BCNC from commercial nata de coco (bacterial cellulose) under catalytic hydrolysis using metal chloride salt (FeCl3.6H2O) assisted by ultrasonic irradiation; (2) fabrication of PLA/BCNC bio-composite films by a solvent casting method. The effect of BCNC incorporation into bio-composite by addition at different concentrations (2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10% w/w of BCNC) was evaluated on the chemical structure, crystallinity, thermal properties, morphology and mechanical properties without any surface modification of reinforcement material previously. The results demonstrated that cellulose nanocrystal from bacterial cellulose can improve the mechanical properties of PLA-based biomaterial film. The developed PLA/BCNC bio-composites films can potentially be used for edible packaging materials.