Operational properties of film materials for bio-packaging

Abstract

The development of environmentally safe packaging materials has become one of the key requirements for 2026. Across various segments of the modern market, there has been a clear and steady increase in interest in biopolymer materials produced from renewable raw materials and capable of biodegradation. The aim of this work was to investigate the performance characteristics of films based on polyvinyl alcohol, maize starch, glycerine and sodium tetraborate, as well as to assess their potential for use as environmentally safe packaging materials. During the study, the films were produced by solution casting onto a glass substrate with heat treatment at temperatures of 393 K and 423 K. Samples of various thicknesses were produced: in the range of 0.0552-0.0616 mm, as well as thicker films – from 0.1953 to 0.2240 mm. The physical and mechanical properties of the materials were determined using a universal tensile testing machine. It was found that the experimental tensile strength values for the obtained film materials increased with an increase in the sodium tetraborate content – from 18.79 N to 66.2 N. The tensile strength reached 30.5 MPa at a sodium tetraborate content of 10% and a film stabilisation temperature of 423 K. The relative elongation at break gradually decreased at higher sample stabilisation temperatures. The increase in tensile strength for films containing 10% sodium tetraborate made this composition effective for producing films with improved strength. Film materials with a thickness of 0.0612-0.0734 mm exhibited the best performance characteristics in terms of the “material strength-film thickness” ratio. The results of the study of the performance characteristics of film materials formed on the basis of polyvinyl alcohol, water-soluble maize starch and glycerine with varying sodium tetraborate content allowed for the consideration of their potential use for food packaging and the encapsulation of fresh vegetables and fruit