title: RETRACTED: Cellulose nanocrystals/ZnO as a bifunctional reinforcing nanocomposite for poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan blend films: fabrication, characterization and properties.
abstract: In this study, cellulose nanocrystals/zinc oxide (CNCs/ZnO) nanocomposites were dispersed as bifunctional nano-sized fillers into poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and chitosan (Cs) blend by a solvent casting method to prepare PVA/Cs/CNCs/ZnO bio-nanocomposites films. The morphology, thermal, mechanical and UV-vis absorption properties, as well antimicrobial effects of the bio-nanocomposite films were investigated. It demonstrated that CNCs/ZnO were compatible with PVA/Cs and dispersed homogeneously in the polymer blend matrix. CNCs/ZnO improved tensile strength and modulus of PVA/Cs significantly. Tensile strength and modulus of bio-nanocomposite films increased from 55.0 to 153.2 MPa and from 395 to 932 MPa, respectively with increasing nano-sized filler amount from 0 to 5.0 wt %. The thermal stability of PVA/Cs was also enhanced at 1.0 wt % CNCs/ZnO loading. UV light can be efficiently absorbed by incorporating ZnO nanoparticles into a PVA/Cs matrix, signifying that these bio-nanocomposite films show good UV-shielding effects. Moreover, the biocomposites films showed antibacterial activity toward the bacterial species Salmonella choleraesuis and Staphylococcus aureus. The improved physical properties obtained by incorporating CNCs/ZnO can be useful in variety uses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. azisusan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Azizi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. mansorahmad@upm.edu.my.
authors.forename: Mansor B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. norazowa@science.upm.edu.my.
authors.forename: Nor Azowa
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.affiliation: Materials Synthesis and Characterization Laboratory, Institute of Advanced Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. mzobir@science.upm.edu.my.
authors.forename: Mohd Zobir
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Hussein
authors.affiliation: Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. farideh.namvar@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Farideh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Namvar
mesh_terms: D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry*; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity / Q000648:ultrastructure; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol / Q000737:chemistry*; D012475:Salmonella / Q000187:drug effects; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects; D013499:Surface Properties; D013718:Tensile Strength; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol; D002482:Cellulose; D048271:Chitosan; D015034:Zinc Oxide