Glycerol and triethyl citrate plasticizer effects on molecular, thermal, mechanical, and barrier properties of cellulose acetate films

Biologically based polymeric packaging has been used as an alternative to petroleum-based polymers. The manufacture of cellulose acetate (CA) films stands out in the packaging field due to being derived from cellulose. Although promising the use of CA as packaging, this material requires the addition of processing aids, such as plasticizers. This work aimed to optimize the plasticizer effect of glycerol (GLY) and triethyl citrate (TEC), in different concentrations (1.8, 3.6, 5.4, and 7.2 mol), added into the CA. The films were characterized using mechanical strength tests, FTIR, TGA, SEM, and various other analysis technologies. Some CA film properties increased after GLY addition into the polymeric matrices, such as thickness, opacity and water vapor permeability. Films plasticized with TEC exhibited opposite behavior to those with GLY. These results indicate that the use of each plasticizer will vary according to the purpose of application in food packaging.