Abstract
Melt extrusion was chosen to exfoliate graphite oxide (GO) incorporated to glycerol-plasticized cornstarch, aiming to produce hybrids with improved mechanical and barrier properties. The effect of increasing GO content, from 0.5 to 2.0 mass%, on the extruded and compression-molded samples was evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), capillary rheometry, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The results suggested that the polymer-intercalated filler was well-dispersed within the thermoplastic starch (TPS) matrix, and corroborated the expected interaction between the functional groups of both components. Submitted to aging tests at 80% relative humidity conditions for ninety days, XRD data revealed that GO, independently of its content, could not prevent retrogradation of the starch matrix. Tensile tests, carried out for the hybrid samples before and after the aging tests, indicated improved stiffness as the GO content was increased. Before aging, the E values increased continuously, from 16.3±2.9MPa to 60.0±3.9MPa, with the increase of GO content from 0 to 2.0 mass%. Conversely, the variation of GO content led to a complex behavior in the E values for the aged TPS/GO hybrids. Images obtained by transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of exfoliated and aggregated GO sheets.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
