Recent advances in starch based materials

L. N. LUDUEÑA; V. A. ALVAREZ; M.P. GUARÁS

Advances in Materials Science Research. Volume 24

Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Lugar: Nueva York; Año: 2016; p. 1 - 16

Polymeric materials have been widely accepted because of their easy processability and low costs. The increasing demand on these materials in the last decades has caused many environmental problems associated with their disposal. Although recycling may be solution in some cases, many plastics cannot be recycled, especially when they are used in applications involving food packaging, hygiene or some medical devices. For these reasons, biodegradable plastics are becoming an attractive alternative to conventional polymers. Starch is a natural biodegradable polymer existing in many vegetables as the main energy source. It is inexpensive, but its complex granular structure makes it difficult to process by conventional methods, and it need to be modified with the addition of a plasticizer in high temperature and shear conditions. This leads to thermoplastic starch (TPS), which can be processed as a conventional thermoplastic material.TPS has been blended with different polymers and by the addition of several fillers, without much success due to poor interfacial compatibility. However, the addition of a compatibilizer, like maleic anhydride, enhances the compatibility, increasing mechanical properties and lowering the water permeability of the blends and composites.The aim of the present contribution was to report the recent advances in starch based materials, its processing and characterization and the uses and applications in different products.