| Summary: | This study aimed to formulate a film using quaternized starch (QSs), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and with tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) for potential food packaging. Corn starch as a renewable resource could ensure sustainability and less negative environmental impact when compared to the use of petrochemical-based materials. The starch was quaternized using hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) to improve its solubility and solve the retrogradation problem. and the loadings of TEOS were varied at 0-5 % wt./wt. polymer. The formulated films were characterized in terms of functional group, mechanical properties, and water uptake. The FTIR analysis revealed that the quaternization process successfully modified the starch, and the films containing TEOS exhibited new vibrational modes associated with the asymmetric and symmetric Si-O-Si stretching, confirming the effective incorporation of the silica network. Film F2 with 1 wt.% TEOS exhibited good mechanical properties with moderate tensile strength (0.870 MPa), high percentage elongation (301%), and low rigidity represented through Young’s modulus (0.814 MPa). The water uptake analysis revealed that increasing the TEOS content significantly improved the water resistance of the hybrid films (10-68%) compared to the films without TEOS (99%). The findings of this study contribute to the development of sustainable and eco-friendly packaging materials. © 2024, University of Ilorin, Faculty of Engineering and Technology. All rights reserved.
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