Well-dispersed fish gelatin-based nanocomposites were prepared by adding ZnO nanorods (NRs) as fillers to aqueous gelatin. The effects of ZnO NR fillers on the mechanical, optical, and electrical properties of fish gelatin bio-nanocomposite films were investigated. Results showed an increase in Young's modulus and tensile strength of 42% and 25% for nanocomposites incorporated with 5% ZnO NRs, respectively, compared with unfilled gelatin-based films. UV transmission decreased to zero with the addition of a small amount of ZnO NRs in the biopolymer matrix. X-ray diffraction showed an increase in the intensity of the crystal facets of (10ī1) and (0002) with the addition of ZnO NRs in the biocomposite matrix. The surface topography of the fish gelatin films indicated an increase in surface roughness with increasing ZnO NR concentrations. The conductivity of the films also significantly increased with the addition of ZnO NRs. These results indicated that bio-nanocomposites based on ZnO NRs had great potentials for applications in packaging technology, food preservation, and UV-shielding systems.

This study intended to provide biopolymer films used as food packaging, which will result in reducing environmental pollution produced by the activities of synthetic food packaging. We used zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO-nr) and we prepared nanocomposite films by means of solvent casting. FTIR and SEM were employed to characterize the final films. SEM images revealed that ZnO-nr particles were homogenously distributed throughout the film surface. The thermal, optical, and heat sealability properties of the films were also examined. Adding ZnO-nr significantly reduced oxygen permeability and heat sealability. The semolina films’ UV absorbance was highly impacted by the degree of ZnO-nr addition. The nanocomposite films absorbed above 90% of the near infrared spectra. In addition, the zeta potential revealed the surface charge of ZnO-nr had a negative charge of about −33.9 mV.