Mayte M. Quispe1,*, Olivia V. López1, Marcelo A. Villar1,2
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.7, No.4, pp. 383-391, 2019, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2019.04276
Abstract Among biopolymers, thermoplastic starch (TPS) is a good candidate to obtain biomaterials because of its natural origin, biodegradable character, and processability. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes significant degradation of starch-based materials, inducing photooxidative reactions which result in breaking of polymer chains, production of free radical, and reduction of molar mass. These changes produce a deterioration of TPS mechanical properties, leading to useless materials after an unpredictable time. In this work, changes induced on TPS by UV radiation, analyzing structural properties and mechanical behavior, are studied. TPS was obtained through thermo-mechanical processing of native corn… More >