Composite films of Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and hybrid materials based on salicylic acid –layered zinc hydroxide acetate (ZHA-SA) using zinc hydroxide acetate (ZHA) as host matrix were obtained by the casting method. The resulting composite films were characterized by FT-IR, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) evidencing the incorporation of the layered materials in PVA matrix with relatively smooth and orderly surfaces. A significant reduction in the crystallinity of neat PVA film and a slight increase in transport coefficients of oxygen through the composite films have been observed. This behaviour has been attributed to a high compatibility and adhesion between the fillers and polymeric matrix. Evaluation of the mechanical properties, in terms of stress, revealed that a low content of fillers (1.0 wt %) were able to increase the response of PVA composites by ~63% with the addition of ZHA, and ~45% with ZHA-SA. The results demonstrated the potential application of ZHA and ZHA-derived hybrid material in the preparation of multifunctional polymer composites to be used in packaging food systems.

This research was funded by MINCIENCIAS (COLCIENCIAS) as financial support of the doctoral studies of Christhy V. Ruiz through announcement 647–2015. The authors also thank to the Polymeric Nanomaterials and HEMPOL groups of the Institute of Polymer Science and Technology (ICTP) for the FT-IR, SEM, and thermal characterization of the composite films, and M. Lopez-Gonz ´ ´ alez would like to thank the financial support from Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU), Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER, UE) through the project PGC2018-095364-B-I00, and MAT2016-81001- P from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO).

Peer reviewed