The fungi of the genus Alternaria are among the main pathogens causing post-harvest diseases and significant economic losses. The consumption of Alternaria contaminated foods may be a major risk to human health, as many Alternaria species produce several toxic mycotoxins and secondary metabolites. To protect consumer health and extend the shelf life of food products, the development of new ways of packaging is of outmost importance. The aim of this work was to investigate the antifungal capacity of a biodegradable poly(lactic acid) (PLA) package filled with thymol or carvacrol complexed in β-cyclodextrins (β-CDs) by the solubility method. Once solid complexes were obtained by spray drying, varying proportions (0.0%, 1.5%, 2.5%, and 5.0 wt%) of β-CD–thymol or β-CD–carvacrol were mixed with PLA for packaging development by injection process. The formation of stable complexes between β-CDs and carvacrol or thymol molecules was assessed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Mechanical, structural, and thermal characterization of the developed packaging was also carried out. The polymer surface showed a decrease in the number of cuts and folds as the amount of encapsulation increased, thereby reducing the stiffness of the packaging. In addition, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed a slight decrease in the temperature of degradation of PLA package as the concentration of the complexes increased, with β-CD–carvacrol or β-CDs–thymol complexes acting as plasticisers that lowered the intermolecular forces of the polymer chains, thereby improving the breaking point. Packages containing 2.5% and 5% β-CD–carvacrol, or 5% β-CD–thymol showed Alternaria alternata inhibition after 10 days of incubation revealing their potential uses in agrofood industry.

Two materials, pure poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and nanocomposites with a matrix of PAA and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as reinforcing agent were synthesized by semi-continuous heterophase polymerization (SHP). CNTs were prepared by a chemical vapor deposition technique and purified by steam. CNTs were characterized by a high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM) and Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies. Nanocomposites were prepared with: (i) purified CNTs (CNTs_p) or (ii) purified and functionalized CNTs possessing an acyl chloride moiety (CNTs_OCl). In both cases, the nanocomposites synthesis was carried out by in situ polymerization of acrylic acid (AA) by SHP. When CNTs_OCl were used previously to the polymerization of AA, a series of specific amounts of CNTs_OCl and AA were mixed to induce a chemical reaction between the carboxyl group of AA and the acyl chloride group of the CNTs_OCl. The product, acrylic acid grafted to CNTs_OCl (CNTs_OCl-AA), was used to prepare the PAA-CNTs_OCl nanocomposites. The PAA-CNTs_OCl nanocomposites were characterized by HRSEM, Raman, FTIR and CPMAS ¹³C-NMR spectroscopies and also by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results reveal that PAA-CNTs_OCl nanocomposites were formed by PAA macromolecules grafted to CNTs_OCl. The kinetic behavior observed for the synthesis of pure PAA or PAA-CNTs_OCl nanocomposites by SHP was similar. Latexes of PAA-CNTs_OCl nanocomposites were stable without formation of a precipitate of CNTs_OCl for over 1.5 years, while latex prepared with CNTs_p and PAA, was unstable and formation of a precipitate of CNTs_p was observed immediately after its preparation. PAA-CNTs_p nanocomposites were characterized only by TGA. Moreover, latex of the PAA-CNTs_p nanocomposite that did not precipitate immediately after its preparation, turned into a gel; this gelation never occurred with the PAA-CNTs_OCl nanocomposite latex.

Design of a smart drug delivery system is a topic of current interest. Under this perspective, polymer nanocomposites (PNs) of butyl acrylate (BA), methacrylic acid (MAA), and functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs_f) were synthesized by in situ emulsion polymerization (IEP). Carbon nanotubes were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and purified with steam. Purified CNTs were analyzed by FE-SEM and HR-TEM. CNTs_f contain acyl chloride groups attached to their surface. Purified and functionalized CNTs were studied by FT-IR and Raman spectroscopies. The synthesized nanocomposites were studied by XPS, ¹³C-NMR, and DSC. Anhydride groups link CNTs_f to MAA–BA polymeric chains. The potentiality of the prepared nanocomposites, and of their pure polymer matrices to deliver hydrocortisone, was evaluated in vitro by UV–VIS spectroscopy. The relationship between the chemical structure of the synthesized nanocomposites, or their pure polymeric matrices, and their ability to release hydrocortisone was studied by FT-IR spectroscopy. The hydrocortisone release profile of some of the studied nanocomposites is driven by a change in the inter-associated to self-associated hydrogen bonds balance. The CNTs_f used to prepare the studied nanocomposites act as hydrocortisone reservoirs.