PROCESSING AND EVALUATION OF LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE/CHITOSAN ANTIMICROBIAL FILMS

Abstract

LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE/CHITOSAN (LDPE/CHITOSAN) FILMS OF THICKNESS WERE FABRICATED VIA COMPRESSION MOLDING. THE EFFECTS OF VARIATION IN LENGTH OF COMPOUNDING AS A FUNCTION OF L/D RATIO (15:1, 30:1, 45:1, 60:1 AND 75:1) WERE INVESTIGATED. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS SHOWED THAT A HIGHER DEGREE OF MISCIBILITY OF THE BLENDS WAS ACHIEVED WITH INCREASING COMPOUNDING LENGTH, WHICH LED TO IMPROVED MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF THE FILMS, VERIFIED BY STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF DATA USING THE VARIANCE (ANOVA) PROCEDURE. THE TENSILE STRENGTH (TS) INCREASED BY ~ 25 % WHEREAS ELONGATION AT BREAK (EBREAK) INCREASED BY TWO-FOLD. FILMS FABRICATED FROM BLENDS COMPOUNDED WITH AN L/D RATIO OF 60:1 HAD THE HIGHEST TS AND EBREAK VALUES, AND THE TS WAS COMPARABLE TO THAT OF LDPE FILMS. IN ADDITION, IN A PRELIMINARY IN-VITRO BACTERIAL STUDY, THE GROWTH OF E. COLI WAS INHIBITED BY LDPE/CHITOSAN FILMS CONTAINING 20 WT. % CONTENT OF CHITOSAN WITHIN 24 H.