Biodegradable composites based on thermoplastic starch and talc nanoparticles

CASTILLO, LUCIANA E; LÓPEZ, OLIVIA; GARCÍA, MARIA ALEJANDRA; VILLAR, MARCELO; BARBOSA, SILVIA ELENA

"Handbook of Composite from Renewable Materials" Vol 5. Biodegradable Material

Wiley

Lugar: Washington; Año: 2017; p. 23 - 60

Nowadays, technological interest is focused on a new generation of compositespolymers based on biodegradable matrixes from renewable raw materials with organic or mineral fillers. These biocomposites have several advantages mainly due to their ecofriendly character since they can be naturally degraded plus their renewable origin.Thus, starch is a good candidate because of its availability, biodegradability, and low cost. Naturally, starch is not considered as a thermoplastic polymer but, when is compounding with a plasticizers, under high temperature and shear stresses, allows the disruption of its granular structure, becoming into thermoplastic starch (TPS). Main disadvantages of TPS materials are related to their poor mechanical properties and moisture absorption. Addition of natural fillers or mineral particles to improve their final properties is an interesting alternative. In this sense, talc particles can be used to reinforce starch matrixes mainly due to its laminar morphology, as well as, its nanometric size thickness. The aim of this chapter comprises the development of starchbased composites with talc nanoparticles. Well dispersed and distributed nanoparticles in TPS matrix is obtained by direct melt mixing. Final TPS properties result improved.These results are interpreted in terms of an accurate analysis of the processingproperties- structure relationship.