ORCID Number
0009-0001-7676-9292
Date of Award
Summer 7-2026
Embargo Period
7-1-2029
Access Type
Dissertation - ERAU Login Required
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering
Department
Mechanical Engineering
Committee Chair
Birce Dikici
Committee Chair Email
dikicib@erau.edu
College Dean
James W. Gregory
Abstract
This dissertation developed and evaluated agar-based biopolymer films prepared by solution casting through three formulation routes: binary agar-starch blending, ternary agar-starch-chitosan blending, and cellulose nanocrystal or cellulose nanofiber reinforcement. Physical measurements, tensile testing, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, water absorption, ultraviolet exposure, water immersion, and soil burial tests were used to compare the systems. Binary agar-starch films showed tensile strength from 2.07 to 2.78 MPa. Ternary films reached 7.11 MPa and included the lowest 90-minute water absorption value, 8.3%. Cellulose nanofiber-reinforced films recorded the highest tensile-strength range, from 11.81 to 24.42 MPa, and some samples exceeded the typical tensile strength range of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films (10–20 MPa), a conventional benchmark for flexible packaging applications. All systems showed mass loss under soil burial and water immersion. The results show that tensile strength and short-term water absorption were not optimized in the same formulation route. Future work should address water sensitivity and barrier performance to extend the findings toward packaging applications.
Scholarly Commons Citation
Alnatsheh, Alaa, "Formulation and Properties of Agar-Based Biopolymer Blends for Packaging Applications" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses. 1002.
https://commons.erau.edu/edt/1002
