Preparation and characterization of biopolymer blends based on polyvinyl alcohol and starch

摘要

In recent years, there has been an expanding research for new polymeric materials with high perfor- mance and low costs. With growing environmental awareness, the research has particularly focused on eco-friendly materials, with terms such as ,,renewable”, ,,recyclable”, ,,sustainable” and _,,biodegra- dable” becoming important features of the materials. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) ranks among the few biodegradable synthetic polymers that are frequently modified owing to their properties. PVA contains numerous polar alcohol groups and may form hydrogen bonds with water. It therefore dissolves easily in water. Starch is a widely used biopolymer which is actually a storage polysaccharide in plants. It is composed of both linear and branched polysaccharides, known as amylose and amylopectin. Starch is one of the most abundant and inexpensive polysaccharide sources which have the unique characteristic of ‘biodegradability’ and it can be easily degraded in water. This work presents the preparation and characterisation of some PVA and starch polymeric blends. A series of physical-mechanical analysis were performed (such as melt processing characteristics, optical properties, permeability, etc.) in order to determine the suitability of these materials for packaging development and use in food industry.