Green, Cross-Linked, Curcumin-Loaded Konjac Glucomannan/Cellulose Nanocrystal Nanofiber Membranes

High-performance nanofiber membranes with simultaneously satisfactory water resistance and active and rapid degradation characteristics have received growing attention in food packaging. However, the agglomeration of a konjac glucomannan (KGM) aqueous solution may occur in high concentration, and it is difficult to prepare uniform nanofibers by electrospinning technology. This study presented a green approach for fabricating nanocomposite nanofiber membranes via electrospinning with konjac glucomannan (KGM) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as raw materials. Citric acid (CA) was added as a green cross-linker to the aforementioned matrix, resulting in enhanced physicochemical properties. We investigated the effects of incorporation of various CNC contents (2.0–8.0 wt %, based on the entire solution’s weight) and CA contents (0.2–0.6 wt %, based on the weight of KGM) on the microstructure and rheological behavior of the electrospun nanofibers. Results demonstrated that esterification interactions occurred in the nanofiber membranes between the molecular chains of KGM, CNC, and CA. Moreover, the nanocomposite membranes were subjected to esterification using stearic acid and loaded with curcumin for enhancing their water resistance and antibacterial and biodegradable properties. Further investigations confirmed that the nanocomposite membranes exhibited considerable pH-sensitive variations, turning from pink-red to deep red when the pH was increased from 7 to 13. The nanocomposite membranes exhibit exceptional potential as multifunctional components in advanced active packaging systems.