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Characterization of a Graphene Oxide-Reinforced Whey Hydrogel as an Eco-Friendly Absorbent for Food Packaging
oleh: Pompilia Mioara Purcea Lopes, Dumitrita Moldovan, Radu Fechete, Liviu Mare, Lucian Barbu-Tudoran, Niculina Sechel, Violeta Popescu
Format: | Article |
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Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2023-04-01 |
Deskripsi
This study presents a structural analysis of a whey and gelatin-based hydrogel reinforced with graphene oxide (GO) by ultraviolet and visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results revealed barrier properties in the UV range for the reference sample (containing no graphene oxide) and the samples with minimal GO content of <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mn>0.66</mn><mo>×</mo><msup><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>3</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>% and <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mn>3.33</mn><mo>×</mo><msup><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>3</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>%, respectively, in the UV-VIS and near-IR range; for the samples with higher GO content, this was <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mn>6.67</mn><mo>×</mo><msup><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>3</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>% and <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mn>33.33</mn><mo>×</mo><msup><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>3</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>% as an effect of the introduction of GO into the hydrogel composite. The changes in the position of diffraction angles 2<i>θ</i> from the X-ray diffraction patterns of GO-reinforced hydrogels indicated a decrease in the distances between the turns of the protein helix structure due to the GO cross-linking effect. Transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM) was used for GO, whilst scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used for the composite characterization. A novel technique for investigating the swelling rate was presented by performing electrical conductivity measurements, the results of which led to the identification of a potential hydrogel with sensor properties.