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Purpose: Synthetic, non-degradable packaging materials have become a severe environmental threat, and therefore the demand is growing for environmentally friendly materials for sustainable packaging. Methods: This study presents a feasible method of developing a novel, sustainable packaging material using the Arecanut leaf sheath (ALS). CarboxyMethyl Cellulose was coated on the material for improving its mechanical properties. The results were compared with those of polythene: the most commonly used packaging material. Results: The novel material has an areal density of 132.5 g per square meter and 1 mm thickness. The material also possesses a tearing strength of approximately 71% of polythene and exhibits approximately 5% elongation at failure. The bursting strength of the material was found to be three times higher (0.3 kg/cm2) than that of polythene (0.1 kg/cm2). The constitutive behaviour of the material was found to be orthotropic. The breaking force of the material was approximately 70% and 22% of polythene in lengthwise and widthwise directions, respectively. The transmittance of the material varied from 54 to 68% in the visible spectrum. Novel material shows a good thermal stability where initial degradation occurred in the temperature range of 200–375 °C.The tensile behaviour was also numerically modelled using the commercial finite element code LS-DYNA. The predicted stress–strain behaviour of the novel material by the numerical model is in close agreement with experimental results. Conclusion: ALS holds promise as a raw material in the development of transparent, sustainable packaging materials for a wide array of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiber networks with out-of-plane auxetic behavior have been sporadically investigated. One of the major challenges is to design such materials with giant negative Poisson's ratio over large deformations. Here in, we report a systematic investigation to create three-dimensional (3D) fiber networks in the form of needlepunched nonwoven materials with out-of-plane auxetic behavior over large deformations via theoretical modeling and extensive set of experiments. The experimental matrix has encapsulated the key parameters of the needlepunching nonwoven process. Under uniaxial tensile loading, the anisotropy coupled with local fiber densification in networks has yielded large negative Poisson's ratio (up to −5.7) specifically in the preferential direction. The in-plane and out-of-plane Poisson's ratios of fiber networks have been predicted and, subsequently, compared with the experimental results. Fiber orientation was found to be a core parameter that modulated the in-plane Poisson's ratio of fiber networks. A parametric analysis has revealed the interplay between the anisotropy of the fiber network and the out-of-plane Poisson's ratio based upon constant volume consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]