Simple, One-Pot Method for Preparing Transparent Ethyl Cellulose Films with Good Mechanical Properties

Abstract

In this research, ethyl cellulose films were prepared by a simple, easy, controlled one-pot method using either ethanol or ethyl lactate as solvents, the films being formed at 6 °C. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles were incorporated to improve the oxygen transmission and water vapour transmission rates of the obtained films. This method used no plasticizers, and flexible materials with good mechanical properties were obtained. The resulting solvent-free and transparent ethyl cellulose films exhibited good mechanical properties and unique free-shapable properties. The obtained materials had similar properties to those reported in the literature, where plasticizers were incorporated into ethyl cellulose films with an elastic modulus of 528 MPa. Contact angles showed the hydrophobic nature of all the prepared materials, with contact angles between 80 and 108°. Micrographs showed the smooth surfaces of the prepared samples and porous intersections with honeycomb-like structures. The oxygen and water vapor transmission rates were the lowest for the ethyl cellulose films prepared in ethyl lactate, these being 615 cm3·m−2·day−1 and 7.8 gm−2·day−1, respectively, showing that the films have promise for food packaging applications.