Synthesis and characterization of methyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride esterified corn starch by wet method

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to synthesize a novel esterified starch with an alicyclic structure. Herein, methyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride (MeTHPA), an alicyclic anhydride, was used to synthesize esterified corn starch (CS) with different degrees of substitution (DS) by a wet method. Compared with CS, the crystallinity and thermal degradation temperature of MeTHPA esterified CS (MeCS) decreased, while the hydrophobicity and light transmittance of MeCS films increased. The esterification modification significantly improved the toughness of the starch film. Between CS and MeCS films, the 15% Me/CS film shows a maximum elongation at break of 24.2% and a tensile strength of 8.0 MPa. Furthermore, 15% Me/CS was blended with CS as a sizing agent for polyester/cotton blended yarns and showed significantly increased adhesion to the blended yarns. Hence, the CS blended MeCS has a potential application in wrap sizing.