Antibacterial activity and volatile organic compounds sensing property of polypyrrole-coated cellulosic paper for food packaging purpose

• Published in: Polymer bulletin (Berlin, Germany) Vol. 79; no. 12; pp. 11543 - 11566
• Main Authors: El Guerraf, Abdelqader, Ben Jadi, Sana, Bakirhan, Nurgul Karadas, Kiymaci, Merve Eylul, Bazzaoui, Mohammed, Ozkan, Sibel Aysil, Bazzaoui, El Arbi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-12-2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Ammonia; Aqueous solutions; Biodegradable materials; Biosensors; Cationic polymerization; Cellulose fibers; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemical synthesis; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chloride; Chloride ions; Complex Fluids and Microfluidics; Environmental impact; Ethanol; Food; Food packaging; Food quality; Fourier transforms; Iron chlorides; Microscopy; Nanoparticles; Nitrates; Organic Chemistry; Original Paper; Oxidizing agents; Particulate composites; Physical Chemistry; Polymer Sciences; Polymerization; Polymers; Polypyrroles; Silver; Silver nitrate; Soft and Granular Matter; Spoilage; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; Food packaging; Toxic gas sensors; Metallic silver particles; Antibacterial composites; Cellulosic paper; Polypyrrole
• ISSN: 0170-0839; 1436-2449
• DOI: 10.1007/s00289-021-04041-w

Polypyrrole (PPy) and metallic silver (Ag) particles were used as a new combination for food packaging applications. Due to numerous interesting properties offered by such materials, their use as a direct contact product in the food industry is of great interest. PPy was coated on cellulosic paper, previously extracted from carton packages of food and beverages, by an in situ chemical oxidative polymerization in the presence of two different oxidizing agents, namely iron chloride and silver nitrate. The first one, well known as a typical oxidant, led to PPy coating-doped chloride ions (PPy–Cl), while the second gives, after an electronic transfer between the monomer and silver cation, a composite containing polymer and metallic silver particles (PPy–Ag). The modification of the cellulosic paper was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopies and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). On the other hand, the prepared materials were tested as antibacterial agents as well as sensors for toxic volatile organic compounds generally produced during food spoilage. The presence of metallic silver particles increases the antibacterial activity of our formulation compared to the system without silver. Furthermore, the significant change in the internal resistance of PPy–Ag composite when exposed to ammonia, acetone, methanol and ethanol vapors proved its high sensing properties.