Functional Properties of Extruded Nanocomposites Based on Cassava Starch, Polyvinyl Alcohol and Montmorillonite

摘要

The objectives of this work were to produce expanded nanocomposites based on cassava starch, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sodium montmorillonite (Na-MMT). The nanocomposites were characterized according to their expansion index (EI), density, water absorption capacity (WAC), mechanical properties and crystallinity. The nanocomposites were prepared in a single-screw extruder using different starch contents (97.6-55.2 g/100 g formulation), PVA (0-40 g/100 g formulation) and Na-MMT (0-4.8 g/100 g formulation). Glycerol (20 g/100 g formulation) was used as plasticizer. The addition of Na-MMT and PVA resulted in an increase of EI and mechanical strength of the foams. Na-MMT and PVA addition resulted in less WAC of the samples. The studied processing conditions resulted in a good nanoclay dispersion, leading to the formation of an intercalated structure.