COMPATIBILIZERS FOR POLYMER BLENDS AND COMPOSITE MATERIALS: PREMADE GRAFT POLYMERS

OLIVIA V. LÓPEZ; NOEMÍ A, ANDREUCETTI; MARIO D. NINAGO; ANDRÉS E. CIOLINO; M. M. SOLEDAD, LENCINA; MARCELO A., VILLAR

Cancún-Riviera Maya

Simposio; XV Simposio Latinoamericano de Polímeros; 2016

Starch is an abundant low cost biopolymer that has been study asan interesting alternative to petroleum derivatives. Thermoplasticstarch (TPS) based materials presents some disadvantagesmainly associated to their high susceptibility to humidity, limitingits industrial applications. In this sense, starch blending withothers polymers may represents a promising alternative toimprove final properties of starch-based materials. Amongsynthetic biodegradable polymers, poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) isconsidered an interesting option. 1 Nevertheless, due to hydrophilicTPS and hydrophobic PCL characters, the compatibility betweenthem is very low. In this sense, the use of a compatibilizer agentbetween the polyester and the starch matrix could overcome thisdrawback. Thus, functionalized starches are novel candidates tobe used as TPS-PCL compatibilizer. The synthesis of thesederivatives through starch-PCL copolymerization reactions involvepolyester chains grafting through reactive sites originated by freeradical formation, onto the starch backbone. Usually, free radicalsare promoted by chemical compound (initiators), which areenvironmentally harmful.2 Within this context, physical methods,such as high-energy ionizing radiation, are considered alternativesto promote free radical polymerizations which are friendlier to theenvironment. In the present work, it is proposed the synthesis ofstarch-g-PCL copolymers applying a novel, simple and green onepot technique using low doses of 60Co gamma radiation.