CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

In this work, a methodology to develop new nanocomposites based on starch and carbon nanotubes is reported. The capability of these nanocomposites as humidity sensors is also evaluated. The presence of the iodine-starch complex used to wrap the fillers leads to an increase in the total heat of reaction involved in the gelatinization process and an improvement in the system electrical conductivity. The addition of MWCNTs leads to an important decrease in DH but does not change the electrical conductivity respect to the matrix prepared with the starch-iodine complex, and also improves the water vapor permeability behavior giving the composites an important advantage for their use as intelligent packagings.