Improving the physical properties of starch using a new kind of water dispersable nano-hybrid reinforcement

N. MORALES; R. CANDAL; L. FAMÁ; S. GOYANES; G. RUBIOLO

CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2015 vol. 127 p. 291 - 299

0144-8617

Plasticized cassava starch matrix composites reinforced by a multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/hercynite (FeAl2O4) nanomaterial were developed. The hybrid nanomaterial consists of FeAl2O4 nanoparticles strongly anchored to the surface of the MWCNT. This nano-hybrid filler shows an irregular geometry, providing strong mechanical interlocking with the matrix, and excellent stability in water, ensuring a good dispersion in the starch matrix. Increments of 370 % in the Young´s modulus, 138 % in tensile strength and 350 % in tensile toughness were found in the composites containing a 0.04 wt % of nano-hybrid filler. Besides, this composite showed a 70% decrease in water vapor permeability relative to the matrix material. All of these significant improvements were explained in terms of a homogenous dispersion of the nano-hybrid filler and its high affinity with both plasticizers, glycerol and water, which induces crystallization without deterioration of the tensile toughness.