Development of chitosan/montmorillonite nanocomposites with encapsulated α-tocopherol

Nanocomposites of chitosan (CS) were developed and characterized in a full factorial design with varying levels of montmorillonite (MMTNa) and encapsulated tocopherol (toc-encap). The structural properties (XRD, FTIR), morphology (TEM), hygroscopic properties (water vapour permeability, hydrophobicity, sorption isotherms) and optical properties (haze, CIELab parameters) of the resulting materials were evaluated. Toc-encap contents up to 10% influenced the intercalation of MMTNa in the CS matrix, resulting in films with reduced water vapour permeability (3.48 × 10–11 (g/m s Pa)), increased hydrophobicity (ΔGHydroph |7.93–59.54| mJ m−2) and lower equilibrium moisture content (EMC), thus showing potential for active food packaging materials. At levels above 10%, toc-encap agglomerates occurred, which deteriorated the properties of the resulting films, as shown with the TEM. As the toc-encap content increased, the films became slightly more yellow, more irregular and less transparent, with a higher haze index.