Polymer/hybrid nanofiller composites for food packaging

The safety of stored food from contaminants and microorganisms is ensured by improved food packaging technology, which extends their shelf life. Because of growing consumer demand for less processed and uncooked foods, functional food packaging is becoming increasingly important. Polymeric matrix materials with appropriate fillers are preferred owing to their improved filler–matrix interaction and progressive methods for developing polymeric composites that reflect expected use in the food packaging industry. The use of nanofillers and their hybrids directly in packaging materials such as polymer matrices helps to achieve the required characteristics of food packaging and prevents the use of preservatives in foods because of their inherent antibacterial properties. Nanocomposites developed with hybrid nanofillers show widespread use in the food packaging industry owing to their larger interaction surface and better aspect ratio, along with other attractive features such as optical and barrier properties. The resulting interaction of hybrid nanofillers with the host matrix influences many aspects of hybrid nanocomposites, such as rheology, morphology, thermal stability, antibacterial and mechanical properties, and water vapor penetration. Hybrid nanofiller synergy favors effective dispersion without damaging the structure of nanoparticles, resulting in a better threshold of percolation in hybrid nanocomposites. This chapter presents a complete overview of different hybrid nanofillers and their modified versions used in polymer composites developed for food packaging applications. It also elucidates the innumerable characteristics of reported hybrid nanofiller composites toward food packaging applications, and their future scope.