In the study, the bioplastics were prepared by coupling silylated starch with acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO) at various curing temperatures. 3-aminopropyltriethoxy silane (APTES) was grafted onto starch by the condensation between Si-OH and C-OH. As demonstrated by FTIR and silica content analysis, starch was successfully modified by APTES. The compatibility between silylated starch and AESO was weak as observed by FESEM. The appearance of C-N bonds confirmed the reaction between AESO and silylated starch. An apparent increase of tensile strength from 8.03 MPa to 14.12 MPa was discovered when the bioplastics were cured from 80 °C to 120 °C. Opacity of the bioplastics was enhanced remarkably by AESO due to the incompatibility of silylated starch and AESO. Water resistance test showed that the bioplastics were less sensitive to water after the addition of AESO. The bioplastics maintained good biodegradability after the introduction of AESO. However, increasing the curing temperatures of the bioplastics yielded weak effects on the water resistance and enzymatic degradation of the bioplastics. The bioplastics with excellent mechanical and water-resistant properties were synthesized via the incorporation of AESO under high-temperature curing. The property changes are highly desirable for packaging applications.
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