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Effects of plasticizer/cross-linker on the mechanical and thermal properties of starch/PVA blends

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Abstract

Biodegradable blends of potato starch and polyvinyl alcohol were prepared by solution casting method. Citric acid was employed to introduce the plasticizing effect into the starch materials. Glutaraldehyde as cross-linker was used to enhance the properties of the blend films. Cross-linking is a common method to improve the strength and stability of starch products. The effects of citric acid and glutaraldehyde on the mechanical properties, thermal properties and swelling degree were investigated. The prepared films were measured for their antibacterial activities and biodegradability. The blend samples were characterized by the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and FTIR analysis techniques. From the mechanical properties study, it was analyzed that the blend films showed improvement in their tensile strength after cross-linking with glutaraldehyde. The SEM micrographs indicated that the blend films were smooth without any cracks, pores and were well cross-linked. The TGA curves showed that there was an increase in the thermal stability of the blend films after cross-linking as compared to uncross-linked blend films. The prepared films showed good antibacterial properties against Gam-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The biodegradability of the blends was determined by placing the samples in compost soil for different time intervals and were found to be biodegradable in nature.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Directors of NIT Hamirpur (H.P.) India for providing laboratory facilities to complete this work and MHRD (New Delhi) for the financial assistance. The authors also wish to thank the Department of Biotechnology of Shoolini University Solan (H.P.) for providing laboratory facilities for antibacterial activity studies.

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  1. Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur, 177005, HP, India

    A. S. Singha & Himanshu Kapoor

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  1. A. S. Singha
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  2. Himanshu Kapoor
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Correspondence to A. S. Singha.

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Singha, A.S., Kapoor, H. Effects of plasticizer/cross-linker on the mechanical and thermal properties of starch/PVA blends. Iran Polym J 23, 655–662 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13726-014-0260-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13726-014-0260-9

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