Abstract
ABSTRACT The current research was designed to determine the effect of various concentrations (0%, 25%, 40%, and 55%) of fructose, sorbitol and urea plasticizers in cornstarch-based films, with the aim of achieving a new polymer for the application of biodegradable materials. Casting technique was used to prepare the films. The physical, morphological, thermal, and mechanical properties of produced films were evaluated. The results showed that the thickness, moisture content, and water solubility increased with the addition of plasticizer concentration. While the glass transition temperatures showed an insignificant effect with high plasticizer content. Regardless of plasticizer sort, the tensile stress and Young’s modulus of plasticized films decreased as the plasticizer concentrations were raised beyond 25%. Likewise, the relative crystallinity decreased by increasing the plasticizer content from 0% to 25%, but it began to grow once the concentration increased above 25%. The fructose-plasticized films presented consistent and more coherent surfaces compared to sorbitol and urea counterparts, which appeared less homogeneous surfaces with microcracks. In summary, the plasticizers types and concentrations are affected significantly on the properties and performance of the cornstarch-based film. Film plasticized with 25% fructose appeared the finest set of features and achieved the highest mechanical performance among the plasticizers used in this study.
Highlights
The concerns over current environmental issues have forced scientists and engineers to find solutions to ensure a sustainable green environment
The films containing 40% and 55% of plasticizers were thicker than films containing 25% plasticizers
The results of the investigation showed that the gradual loading of plasticizers concentration (25%, 40%, 55%) enhanced the performance of the films according to the plasticizer type
Summary
The concerns over current environmental issues have forced scientists and engineers to find solutions to ensure a sustainable green environment. Non-biodegradable wastes are those who cannot be decayed or decomposed by natural agents. They last for many years without any degradation.[1] A prominent example of this is synthetic plastic, which is a common source of environmental contamination used in almost every area of life. It is estimated that worldwide production of synthetic plastic is about 140 million tons per year, with an increasing rate of 2.2% per year.[2] In this regard, the production of environmentally friendly materials to be used as an alternative to nonbiodegradable is inevitable.[3,4,5] biopolymers such as thermoplastic starches derived from natural sources are one of the most promising alternatives to mitigate the abovementioned issues. Starches are carbohydrate polymers consisted mainly of a combination of polysaccharide amylose and branched polysaccharide amylopectin with different ratios depends on the
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