Abstract
Thermoplastic starch (TPS)/ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) blends compatibilized with polyethylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) were prepared from various native starches (potato, maize and waxy maize) and subjected to multiple extrusion cycles. Source of starch has significant impact on its composition, hence properties of obtained TPS and their blends with EVA. Higher content of amylopectin in waxy maize starch, comparing to other types, enhanced the mechanical performance and increased tensile strength and elastic modulus even by 41 and 71%, respectively. Such effect was related to the branching of amylopectin and was confirmed by SEM analysis of fracture areas, which showed more ductile behavior for blends with higher content of amylose. Multiple processing had beneficial impact on the performance of blends, due to the increasing compatibility and more homogenous structure after additional processing time. FTIR analysis indicated higher extent of compatibilization reaction, which, together with finer morphology, resulted in the enhancement of mechanical performance. Such effect is very beneficial from application point of view, because materials can be reprocessed without the loss of properties.
Highlights
Application of starch in polymer industry is constantly gaining more attention due to its biodegradability and relatively low price, which fits into ongoing trends related to environmentally-friendly materials, often created by various law regulations
The highest intensity of these signals is observed for waxy maize starch, which is related to the highest content of amylopectin [23]
Higher amylopectin content was associated with the change in type of crystallinity from B to A-type, which is associated with higher packing of the structure and gelatinization temperature
Summary
Application of starch in polymer industry is constantly gaining more attention due to its biodegradability and relatively low price, which fits into ongoing trends related to environmentally-friendly materials, often created by various law regulations. Presented research work had following goals: (i) to analyze the effectiveness of native starch thermoplastification with glycerol and sewage sludge instead of water, which could provide the method of its utilization; (ii) to evaluate the possibility of preparation of TPS/EVA blends with different types of starch, differing by amylose and amylopectin content, containing polyethylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) as compatibilizer; (iii) to determine the impact of multiple extrusion cycles on the structure and properties of prepared TPS/EVA blends. Compatibilization of TPS/EVA blends has not been previously reported, the same for the impact of starch type, as well as the multiple processing cycles on the structure and performance of these blends.
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