Title
Thermal and structural analysis of natural fiber reinforced starch-based biocomposites
Date Issued
01 November 2006
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Abstract
This is the second part of a series of articles dealing with characterization of starch based biodegradable composites. Potato, sweet potato, and corn starch varieties were used as matrices of the biocomposites. Natural fibers including jute, sisal, and cabuya were used as discrete reinforcement. Water and glycols were used as plasticizers. Compression molded specimens were prepared and characterized by a variety of techniques. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermogravimetry (TGA) were used to characterize the thermal behavior of these composites. Processed specimens did not show the typical endothermic peak observed in DSC scans for native starch powder. No significant difference was observed for weight loss and decomposition due to fiber or plasticizer content among the different specimens. Attenuated Total Reflectance-Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-IR) was used to characterize the starch compounds and the effect of plasticizers and reinforcing fibers. The spectra found for most specimens were consistent with those of pure starch. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) pictures showed the morphology of the specimens for different types of starch matrices and different fiber contents.
Start page
893
End page
907
Volume
55
Issue
11
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Bioproductos (productos que se manufacturan usando biotecnología), biomateriales, bioplásticos, biocombustibles, materiales nuevos bioderivados, químicos finos bioredivados
Ciencia de los polímeros
Termodinámica
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-33746798513
Source
International Journal of Polymeric Materials and Polymeric Biomaterials
ISSN of the container
1563535X
Sponsor(s)
Two of the authors (FT and JN) acknowledge financial aid from the Direction of Research, the Department of Engineering, and the Faculty of Sciences and Engineering of the Catholic University of Peru.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus