Hydrolysis of plasma-polymerized poly(ethylene glycol)/ZnO nanocomposites in food simulants: Identification of components and potential toxicity.

Plasma polymerization at atmospheric pressure provides an eco-friendly alternative to wet chemistry for creating antibacterial coatings for food packaging. However, the degradation of these coatings in contact with food remains underexplored. This study employs an aerosol-assisted atmospheric plasma system to deposit polyethylene glycol (PEG)-like coatings with 1 wt% zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles on a polymer substrate. Fourteen degradation products, differ mainly in the number of ethylene oxide groups were identified in food simulants, with the highest releases associated with C6H14O4 and C10H22O5. Increasing plasma input power from 200 to 350 W enhanced crosslinking and increased ZnO nanoparticle content from 1.6 ± 0.3 to 5.9 ± 0.8 at. %, resulting in lower release of the degradation products. Toxicity evaluations, including Daphnia magna LC50 (48 h) and oral rat LD50 tests, confirmed the non-toxic nature of these substances. These findings suggest that plasma-polymerized coatings are safe and effective for antibacterial food packaging.