Fabrication and Characterization of Antibacterial Polyvinyl Alcohol/Ag@MOF Films for Food Packing

Four different polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) based food packaging films (PVA/Ag@MOF, PVA/H₂PYDC, PVA/Ag, PVA) were prepared by flow-casting method in order to analyze the feasibility of silver based organic framework (Ag@MOF) for food packaging. Their mechanical properties, thermodynamic properties, water barrier, antibacterial and cytotoxicity were studied. The results showed that compared with PVA and PVA/H₂PYDC films, the addition of Ag@MOF improved the mechanical properties of the films, and the maximum tensile strength of the films was increased to 36.21 MPa. Compared with PVA, PVA/H2PYDC and PVA/AgNPs films, the addition of Ag@MOF enhanced the thermal stability of the films. Compared with PVA and PVA/H₂PYDC films, the rigid structures of AgNPs and Ag@MOF prevented the diffusion of water and improved the performance of water resistance. The antibacterial activity of PVA/Ag@MOF membrane againsted Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was much higher than that of AgNPs and H₂PYDC composite films, and it had low cytotoxicity. Therefore, PVA/Ag@MOF film is a promising food packaging material, which can reduce the interference of environmental microorganisms on food with low cytotoxicity, and improve food safety and storage cycle.