Influence of the Chemically Prepared Chitosan/ZnO Nanocomposite on the Biodegradability, Mechanical, and Thermal Properties of Polypropylene

The enhancing of polypropylene (PP) biodegradability as well as improving its thermal and mechanical properties is one of the main challenges. Incorporation of chemically prepared chitosan (CS)/ZnO nanocomposite (CZC) into PP holds promise in solving this issue. Tensile tests showed increased tensile strength, elongation at break and toughness of PP/CZC compared to PP/CS. PP/CZC attained enhanced thermal stability and biodegradability relative to PP/CS. UV pretreated PP/CZC revealed higher weight loss compared to the unpretreated films. PP/CZC needed 120 days to show the same biodegradation rate as PP/CS after 90 days.