Novel thermoplastic materials based on the outer-shell oxypropylation of corn starch granules.
The study of the plasticization of corn-starch granules through the bulk oxypropylation of their outer shell produced a novel biphasic material consisting of a low glass transition temperature component surrounding the granules' inner core, which could be hot pressed to form films of the granules dispersed into a thermoplastic matrix. The success and extent of these chemical modifications and the properties of the ensuing composites were assessed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and contact angle measurements. This approach has the additional advantage of being simple and "green".
de  Menezes
A J
AJ
Instituto de Química de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, São Carlos SP, Brazil.
Pasquini
D
D
Curvelo
A A S
AA
Gandini
A
A
D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013213:Starch / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
D013213:Starch