Effect of Polyethylene Glycol and Lemongrass Essential Oil as Plasticizers on the Properties of Chitosan/Hydroxyethyl Cellulose Blend Films
Nurul Izzaty MOHD ISA, Muthmirah IBRAHIM, Siti Salmi SAMSUDIN, Jalilah ABD JALIL
Abstract. This work investigates biodegradable chitosan/hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) blend films prepared by solution casting with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and lemongrass essential oil (LEO) as plasticizers, particularly for food packaging applications. Tensile, thermal and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses that PEG increased flexibility while LEO preserved tensile strength and improved thermal stability. The unplasticized chitosan/HEC films exhibited an optimum tensile strength of 20.7 ± 2.0 MPa at the chitosan-40/HEC-60 film composition, which decreased with higher HEC content due to limited chain mobility. Increasing HEC enhanced elongation at break, reflecting improved flexibility. PEG effectively increased plasticity, while LEO preserved film strength. Both plasticizers enhanced thermal stability, and FTIR analysis revealed stronger hydrogen bonding and modified interpolymer interactions within the blends. Collectively, these results demonstrate that PEG- and LEO-plasticized chitosan/HEC films are promising, cost-effective and biodegradable materials for active food-packaging, offering a tunable balance of strength, flexibility and thermal stability.
Keywords
Chitosan, Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Polyethylene Glycol, Lemongrass Essential Oil, Blend Films
Published online 7/15/2026, 8 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Nurul Izzaty MOHD ISA, Muthmirah IBRAHIM, Siti Salmi SAMSUDIN, Jalilah ABD JALIL, Effect of Polyethylene Glycol and Lemongrass Essential Oil as Plasticizers on the Properties of Chitosan/Hydroxyethyl Cellulose Blend Films, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 68, pp 65-72, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904237-9
The article was published as article 9 of the book Green Materials, Processing & Characterization
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
References
[1] A. Di Bartolo, G. Infurna, and N. T. Dintcheva, “A review of bioplastics and their adoption in the circular economy,” Apr. 02, 2021, MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13081229
[2] P. G. C. Nayanathara Thathsarani Pilapitiya and A. S. Ratnayake, “The world of plastic waste: A review,” Mar. 01, 2024, Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clema.2024.100220
[3] S. M. El-Sayed, H. S. El-Sayed, A. F. Hashim, and A. M. Youssef, “Valorization of edible films based on chitosan/hydroxyethyl cellulose/olive leaf extract and TiO2-NPs for preserving sour cream,” Int. J. Biol. Macromol., vol. 268, May 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131727
[4] T. D. Moshood, G. Nawanir, F. Mahmud, F. Mohamad, M. H. Ahmad, and A. AbdulGhani, “Sustainability of biodegradable plastics: New problem or solution to solve the global plastic pollution?,” Jan. 01, 2022, Elsevier B.V. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crgsc.2022.100273
[5] C. Cen et al., “Design and characterization of an antibacterial film composited by hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS), and nano ZnO for food packaging,” Int. J. Biol. Macromol., vol. 231, Mar. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.123203
[6] A. Das, S. Ghosh, and N. Pramanik, “Chitosan biopolymer and its composites: Processing, properties and applications- A comprehensive review,” Aug. 01, 2024, Elsevier B.V. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hybadv.2024.100265
[7] C. Jo, B. Rukmanikrishnan, D. S. Prabakaran, S. Ramalingam, and J. Lee, “Cellulose-Pulp-Based Stretchable Composite Film with Hydroxyethyl Cellulose and Turmeric Powder for Packaging Applications,” ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng., vol. 9, no. 40, pp. 13653–13662, Oct. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c05183
[8] X. Zhang et al., “Development of functional hydroxyethyl cellulose-based composite films for food packaging applications,” Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol., vol. 10, Sep. 2022. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2022.989893
[9] F. Faheem et al., “Uncovering the Industrial Potentials of Lemongrass Essential Oil as a Food Preservative: A Review,” Antioxidants, vol. 11, no. 4, p. 720, Apr. 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11040720
[10] S. C. Angadi, L. S. Manjeshwar, and T. M. Aminabhavi, “Interpenetrating polymer network blend microspheres of chitosan and hydroxyethyl cellulose for controlled release of isoniazid,” Int. J. Biol. Macromol., vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 171–179, 2010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2010.05.003
[11] A. Chanachai, R. Jiraratananon, D. Uttapap, G. Y. Moon, W. A. Anderson, and R. Y. M. Huang, “Pervaporation with chitosan/hydroxyethylcellulose (CS/HEC) blended membranes,” 2000.
[12] H. T. Ahmed, V. J. Jalal, D. A. Tahir, A. H. Mohamad, and O. Gh. Abdullah, “Effect of PEG as a plasticizer on the electrical and optical properties of polymer blend electrolyte MC-CH-LiBF4 based films,” Results Phys., vol. 15, p. 102735, Dec. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rinp.2019.102735
[13] R. Ramezani Kalmer et al., “Effect of different molecular weights of polyethylene glycol as a plasticizer on the formulation of dry powder inhaler capsules: Investigation of puncturing size, morphologies, and surface properties,” Arabian Journal of Chemistry, vol. 15, no. 11, Nov. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arabjc.2022.104239
[14] N. Ganokwalai, N. Chotprasert, S. Choonharuangdej, B. Shrestha, and T. Srithavaj, “Mechanical properties of dental tissue conditioner containing lemongrass essential oil,” J. Prosthet. Dent., vol. 132, no. 5, pp. 1068.e1-1068.e8, Nov. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PROSDENT.2024.07.014
[15] W. M. Facchinatto et al., “Evaluation of chitosan crystallinity: A high-resolution solid-state NMR spectroscopy approach,” Carbohydr. Polym., vol. 250, p. 116891, Dec. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CARBPOL.2020.116891
[16] M. Yoshida, H. Iwase, and T. Shikata, “Conformation and Structure of Hydroxyethyl Cellulose Ether with a Wide Range of Average Molar Masses in Aqueous Solutions,” Polymers (Basel)., vol. 14, no. 21, p. 4532, Oct. 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14214532
[17] C. Cen et al., “Design and characterization of an antibacterial film composited by hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS), and nano ZnO for food packaging,” Int. J. Biol. Macromol., vol. 231, p. 123203, Mar. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJBIOMAC.2023.123203
[18] Y. X. Xu, K. M. Kim, M. A. Hanna, and D. Nag, “Chitosan–starch composite film: preparation and characterization,” Ind. Crops Prod., vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 185–192, Mar. 2005. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.INDCROP.2004.03.002
[19] F. Li, S. Zhang, J. Liang, and J. Wang, “Effect of polyethylene glycol on the crystallization and impact properties of polylactide‐based blends,” Polym. Adv. Technol., vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 465–475, May 2015. https://doi.org/10.1002/pat.3475
[20] A. Sarhan, “Characterization of Chitosan and Polyethylene glycol blend Film,” Egypt. J. Chem., vol. 63, pp. 405–412, Apr. 2020. https://doi.org/10.21608/ejchem.2019.11668.1743
[21] A. Istiqomah, W. E. Prasetyo, M. Firdaus, and T. Kusumaningsih, “Valorisation of lemongrass essential oils onto chitosan-starch film for sustainable active packaging: Greatly enhanced antibacterial and antioxidant activity,” Int. J. Biol. Macromol., vol. 210, pp. 669–681, Jun. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.04.223
[22] D. Essa, E. Osman, S. Fawzy Ibrahim, S. H. Samaha, D. Essa, and S. F. Ibrahim, “Synthesis and Characterization of Hydroxyethyl Cellulose Grafted Copolymers and its Application for Removal of Nickel Ions from Aqueous Solutions,” 2015. [Online]. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/294670012
[23] D. M. Abo Atya, S. M. El-Sayed, S. A. M. Khalifa, H. R. El-Seedi, and A. M. Youssef, “Development of chitosan/hydroxyethyl cellulose bionanocomposite films enriched with raisin extract and zinc oxide for antimicrobial food packaging applications,” Polymer Bulletin, vol. 83, no. 5, p. 227, May 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-025-06221-4
[24] M. Râpă et al., “Bioactivity and Thermal Stability of Collagen–Chitosan Containing Lemongrass Essential Oil for Potential Medical Applications,” Polymers (Basel)., vol. 14, no. 18, Sep. 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14183884
