Biodegradable Nanocomposite Films

"The disposal of ship-generated waste remains a problem for the Navy as it struggles with the issue of storing food-contaminated plastic waste for long periods at sea while maintaining necessary sanitary conditions. Plastics are currently prohibited fromdisposal at sea; however, if the plastic is quickly degraded in the ocean, overboard disposal would have little or no deleterious effect on the marine environment.Several biodegradable plastics are now commercially available. Unfortunately, these biodegradable plastics often do not have the necessary physical and barrier properties to make them useful as a food packaging material. TDA Research, Inc. (TDA) proposesto use our proprietary inorganic/organic hybrid nanoparticles to improve the barrier properties of polycaprolactone, an already biodegradable polymer. We have developed nanoparticles that when added to polymers, improve their barrier properties andtoughness while maintaining other necessary properties. Our nanoparticles can be incorporated into current PCL formulations, allowing minimal changes to existing processing methods. The material developed from the Phase I project will be a biodegradable nanocomposite with improved barrier properties against water vapor and oxygen. Biodegradable nanocomposites would answer a military need by developing food packaging materials thatdegrade in the marine environment, thus allowing the potential for overboard disposal. Biodegradab