Abstract
The thermal degradation of starch/poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blend was studied by using TG in air atmosphere. Thermo-analytic investigations on pure starch film and starch/PVA blend film were carried out to evaluate the thermal stability and the respective activation energy of the materials. Experiments in air atmosphere and under non-isothermal and isothermal condition carried out. The Kissinger and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa methods were used to calculate the activation energy of non-isothermal degradation of starch and starch/PVA blends. The results show that these two methods were suitable and effective to describe the thermal degradation of starch and starch/PVA blends. These results are shown that starch/PVA blend was thermally less stable than pure starch and thermal stability of films decreased with increasing PVA content.
Highlights
The thermal degradation of polymers refers to the case where polymers at elevated temperatures start to undergo chemical changes without the simultaneous involvement of another compound [1]
In this study we assessed the pure starch film and starch/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) blend film were synthesized and their thermal stability studied by non-isothermal, isothermal Thermogravimetric analysis
The results showed that starch/PVA blend was less thermally stable compared to pure starch and, thermal stability decreased with increasing the value of polyvinyl alcohol
Summary
The thermal degradation of polymers refers to the case where polymers at elevated temperatures start to undergo chemical changes without the simultaneous involvement of another compound [1]. As compared to most petroleum–based polymers, the poor mechanical properties and relatively high hydrophilic nature of starch prevent its use in widespread applications [4]. Chemical and physical properties of starch have been widely investigated due to its suitability to be converted into a thermoplastic and to be used in different applications as a result of its known biodegradability, availability and economical feasibility [5]. The influence of starch sources, components, molecular mass and plasticizer, such as water and polyols has been studied to improve the mechanical properties of starch plastics [6]. Today native starch can be processed under controlled high pressure and temperature to give thermoplastic products, which can be transformed into injection or blow moulded articles [8]
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