Sustainable design of high-performance packaging films from rice husk–derived modified cellulose

Hybrid CMC films with Ag/Cu/CuO nanoparticles were prepared via film casting method. • Comprehensively study water permeability, solubility, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic. • Enhanced mechanical strength and water-resistant of CMC-based films support food packaging. • A sustainable framework with strong potential for food packaging applications. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), a renewable chemically modified material derived from rice husk, is a promising biopolymer matrix for biodegradable films and shows strong potential for high-performance, environmentally friendly packaging. This study investigates the synthesis and properties of CMC-based packaging films, including those derived from CMC, metal nanoparticles (Ag, Cu/CuO), and/or metal–organic coordination systems. Particular attention is given to key critical for food packaging applications, such as mechanical strength, transparency, water vapor barrier performance, antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The successful preparation of the hybrid films was evaluated using FT-IR, XPS, XRD, and TGA techniques, while solid content and swelling ratio were also determined. The results clearly indicated significant improvements in the thermal and mechanical performance of the hybrid nanocomposite films, with tensile strength and elongation at break increasing by 233–286% and 107–132%, respectively. The films showed improved moisture resistance and CMC-based hybrid films containing metal–organic coordination system exhibited significantly lower humidity transmission compared to unmodified film. The hybrid nanocomposite films exhibited the highest zones of inhibition of 10.6 ± 0.7 mm against E. coli and 11.2 ± 0.2 mm against S. aureus , indicating significant antibacterial activity resulting from the synergistic bacterial growth inhibition effects of Ag and Cu/CuO. The utilization of agricultural by-products enabled the sustainable fabrication of hybrid CMC-based packaging films, which demonstrate strong potential to meet functional and regulatory requirements for food packaging while supporting the transition toward sustainable and circular packaging systems.