Methods of fabrication of bionanocomposites

Petrochemical-based plastic packaging materials that cannot be biodegradable and remain intact in nature for many years and the continuous proliferation of these materials as waste has become an international problem. As a result of this problem, bionanocomposites produced from biodegradable materials represent a new class of nanosized materials with various uses, from various daily uses to food packaging applications. It consists of a biobased component and at least one-dimensional nanosized particles. It differs from nanocomposites with fundamental differences such as preparation methods, functions, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and obtaining methods. In the presented study, the production methods of bionanocomposites are explained with some examples obtained by these methods. Generally, there are four main production methods: in situ intercalative polymerization, solution intercalation, template synthesis, and melt intercalation. With these methods, bionanocomposites can be produced that are homogeneously dispersed and provide major enhancements in mechanical, thermal and water vapor barrier characteristics compared to base polymers. It is capital to use the appropriate method and to make the correct synthesis according to the base polymer used and the type of nanoparticle added, to obtain a homogeneous and nonagglomerated bionanocomposite synthesis.