Cellulosic biocomposite foam papers impregnated by crosslinked starch/poly (vinyl alcohol) biopolymers

Bio-based materials offer tremendous contributions by replacing conventional fossil-based products for a more sustainable society. The aim of the current study was to study the effect of crosslinked starch (CST) and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) on the properties of cellulose foam papers prepared by compression molding. Several experimental techniques were applied to characterize prepared foam materials, including SEM, contact angle, thermogravimetric, mechanical, and barrier analysis. The chemical structure of the foam papers were analyzed using FTIR and XRD spectroscopy. The crystallinity of the foam papers increased from 75.8% for cellulose foam papers to 79.3% for CST/PVA reinforced cellulose foam papers. The tensile test results indicated that the addition of CST/PVA improved the mechanical properties of the foam papers. The tensile strength increased from 0.9 MPa for neat cellulose foam to 9.9 MPa for the CST/PVA reinforced cellulose foam papers. Therefore, the materials developed in this work can be a viable ecological alternative to replace the non-biodegradable polystyrene foam trays used in single-used food packaging containers.