Development of TiO2 photocatalyzed EC/HTPB based oxygen scavenging mats by electrospinning method for packaging applications

In this work, oxygen absorption properties of titanium dioxide (TiO2) photocatalyzed ethyl cellulose (EC)/hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) blends have been studied. Oxygen scavenging samples were prepared using solution casting and electrospinning methods from two different binary mixtures, toluene/ethanol and ethanol/water, respectively. Morphological observations for electrospun mats confirmed that the addition of HTPB to EC matrix increased the tendency of the mixture to obtain a smooth fibrous structure compared to that of pure EC. Viscosity and FTIR-ATR measurements were carried out to study the stability and homogeneity of the blends in ethanol/water mixture. Applicability of Cox-Merz empirical rule led us to believe that catalyzed electrospinning blend was homogenous. A similar ratio of EC to HTPB in electrospun mats prepared in ethanol/water compared to the one prepared in toluene/ethanol is shown by FTIR-ATR spectra, which revealed the stability of the blends in this mixture. The oxygen absorption measurements depicted significant oxygen absorption capacity for cast films and electrospun mats which could reach about the averages of 54 cm3 (25 °C, 1013 hPa)/g and 59 cm3 (25 °C, 1013 hPa)/g, respectively, after 30 days. The oxygen scavenging capacity of electrospun mats was higher than cast films as a result of the higher surface area in the fibrous structure.