1. Zn and Zn-Fe Nanostructures with Multifunctional Properties as Components for Food Packaging Materials
- Author
-
Hafsae Lamsaf, Lina F. Ballesteros, Miguel A. Cerqueira, José A. Teixeira, Lorenzo M. Pastrana, Luís Rebouta, Sandra Carvalho, Sebastian Calderon, and Universidade do Minho
- Subjects
Science & Technology ,nanostructure ,antibacterial activity ,zinc–iron ,sputtering ,food packaging ,chromatic effect ,General Chemical Engineering ,General Materials Science ,zinciron - Abstract
Metallic and bimetallic nanostructures have shown interesting chromatic and antibacterial properties, and they can be used in various applications. In this work, zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) nanostructures were produced with different morphologies: (i) pure Zn; (ii) Zn-Fe nanoalloys; (iii) Zn-Fe nanolayers (Zn-Fe NLs); and (iv) Zn nanolayers combined with Fe nanoparticles (Zn NLs + Fe NPs). The aim was to produce components for food packaging materials with active and intelligent properties, including oxygen absorption capacity, chromatic properties, and antibacterial properties. Thus, the morphology, structure, and chemical composition of the samples were characterized and correlated with their oxidation, chromatic, and antibacterial properties. The results revealed a relevant reduction in the coating’s opacity after oxidation varying from 100 to 10% depending on the morphology of the system. All coatings exhibited significant antibacterial activity against S. aureus, revealing a direct correlation with Zn content. The incorporation of Fe for all atomic arrangements showed a negative impact on the antibacterial effect against E. coli, decreasing to less than half the zone of inhibition for Zn-Fe NLs and Zn NLs + Fe NPs and suppressing the antibacterial effect for Zn-Fe alloy when compared with the pure Zn system., This research was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the project NANOXYPACK-Nano-sized oxygen scavenger for new active food packaging (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030789), co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) through the Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI)–COMPETE 2020. This research is also sponsored by FCT under the scope of strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 and UIDB/00285/2020 units., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF