Microwave-assisted synthesis of poly (acrylamide-co-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)/chitosan semi-IPN ZnO nanocomposite membranes for food packaging applications

Microwave irradiation is used in this study to synthesize poly (acrylamide-co-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)/chitosan (P(AM-co-HEMA)/chitosan) semi-IPN hydrogels, which are synthesized using one-pot polymerization techniques with ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator. The first step was to synthesize a (P(AM-co-HEMA) network in a chitosan aqueous solution, which formed a semi-IPN structure. Nanocomposite membranes of P(AM-co-HEMA)/chitosan membranes with varying Zinc oxide concentrations i.e. 2.5, 5, and 10 wt. % gravimetrically were tested for gas permeability measurements of pure oxygen gas at feed pressures ranging from 1 to 20 kg/cm2. The permeability of the membranes to oxygen ranged from 0.0963 to 0.2634 Barrer for the pristine Poly (Acrylamide-co-2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate)/Chitosan Semi-IPN membrane, and 5 and 10 wt. % ZnO loaded blend membranes showed good resistance and zero permeability at feed pressures of 1–5 kg/cm2 and 0.0341 to 0.0364 Barrer for 10 wt. % ZnO loaded blend membranes by increasing the feed pressures at the feed chamber. The nanocomposite membranes were tested for antimicrobial properties and found to be a more effective antimicrobial material. The results of the soil burial tests show that the prepared membranes are biodegradable. Mechanical strength is exceptional under normal conditions.