The use of petroleum-based plastics in food packaging leads to various environmental impacts, while spoilage of food and misinterpretation of food-date labelling account for food insecurity; therefore, a biopolymer capable of indicating food edibility is prepared to resolve these issues. In this research, starch/polyaniline (starch/PANI) biopolymer film was synthesised and investigated as an ammonia sensor for potential application as intelligent food packaging. FT-IR and XRD were used to confirm the composition of the biopolymer films, while UV-Vis spectrometry was applied to identify the oxidation state of PANI in emeraldine form. PANI was successfully incorporated into the starch matrix, leading to better thermal stability (TGA) but decreasing the crystallinity of the matrix (DSC). The performance of the polymer-film sensor was determined through ammonia-vapour sensitivity analysis. An obvious colour change from green to blue of starch/PANI films was observed upon exposure to the ammonia vapour. Starch/PANI 0.4% is the optimum composition, having the best sensor performance with good linearity (R² = 0.9459) and precision (RSD = 8.72%), and exhibiting excellent LOD (245 ppm). Furthermore, the starch/PANI films are only selective to ammonia. Therefore, the starch/PANI films can be potentially applied as colourimetric ammonia sensors for intelligent food packaging.

An anti-static polymer film was prepared using biodegradable poly(lactic acid) as a matrix and polyaniline (PAni) as an anti-static agent. It is aimed to be applied in packaging applications to dissipate the accumulated charges. The anti-static properties of PLA films were investigated with various PAni contents ranging from 0% to 20% through ex situ polymerisation by the solution casting method. PAni was synthesised in the solution form through chemical oxidation at 0 °C. The synthesis of PAni was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopy. The mechanical and anti-static properties of the samples were characterised using a Universal Testing Machine (UTM) and a resistivity meter, respectively. The experimental results indicated that incorporation of PAni into PLA films affected the morphology, anti-static and mechanical properties of the samples. PLA/PAni showed a compact surface with a porous structure, reflecting the interfacial interaction between PLA and PAni in the presence of a plasticiser. It was discovered and compared with other compositions, PLA with 15% PAni exhibited excellent anti-static performance with 2.45 × 10¹⁰ ohm/sq surface resistivity and the highest tensile strength, elongation at break and modulus of 29.3 ± 2.4 MPa, 60.1 ± 1.6% and 1364.0 ± 85.2 MPa respectively. Hence, PAni is a good candidate to be used in PLA/PAni systems by giving a suitable surface resistivity that can potentially be applied in anti-static packaging applications.

Pure polyaniline (PAni) is insoluble in water. Water-soluble complexes of PAni with different of cellulose derivatives were successfully synthesized by using chemical oxidation polymerization of aniline in aqueous solution of cellulose derivatives. In this study, cellulose derivatives such as methylcellulose (MC), hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) had been used as a steric stabilizer, aniline (Ani) as a monomer with hydrogen chloride (HCl) as an acidic dopant, and ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator. The chemical structure of PAni complexes were confirmed by using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The interactions of PAni and cellulose derivatives were observable through Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis) in the wavelength range of 300 nm to 900 nm. The Standard Four-Point Probe Method was used for the conductivity measurements. In the electrical conductivity measurement, PAni in toluene was used as a control. The result showed that water-soluble PAni-cellulose derivatives gave higher conductivity value (9.47 × 10⁻² – 1.87 × 10⁻¹ S/cm) than the pristine PAni (1.60 × 10⁻³ S/cm).