# Design and Characterization of High-Performance Borophene Oxide-Reinforced PLA/PEG Composite Films

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new composite film made with borophene oxide that improves strength and water vapor resistance, making it suitable for biomedical and packaging uses.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is the synthesis and characterization of borophene oxide-reinforced PLA/PEG composite films with enhanced mechanical and antibacterial properties.

## Key findings

- Adding 0.5 wt% borophene oxide increased tensile strength by 72% to 22.6 MPa.
- The Td10 temperature of the composite increased from 310°C to 338°C with low BO content.
- Films showed improved antibacterial activity against S. aureus compared to E. coli.

## Abstract

Borophene oxide (BO)
was synthesized using a modified Hummer method
and added at different ratios into a plasticized polylactic acid/polyethylene
glycol (PLA/PEG) matrix via a solution-casting technique. Characterization
of the produced films for potential packaging applications was carried
out through thermal, mechanical, structural, morphological, and antibacterial
tests. The addition of 0.5 wt % BO to the plasticized PLA film resulted
in an approximately 72% increase in the tensile strength (22.6 MPa).
Increasing the BO content decreased the elongation values. In TGA
analysis, the Td10 temperature of the PLA/PEG matrix increased
from 310 °C to approximately 338 °C with the addition of
a low amount of BO. The water vapor barrier of the plasticized PLA
films was enhanced with 0.5–0.7 wt % BO addition but diminished
at higher BO concentrations. The resulting films exhibited greater
antibacterial activity against S. aureus than E. coli. Considering all film
properties, the developed films were shown to be promising for biomedical
and especially packaging applications, where the vapor permeation
barrier and Gram-positive bacterial contamination are critical concerns
due to the BO content.