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Published on: November 30, 2020
Miscibility study of thermoplastic starch/polylactic acid blends: Thermal and superficial properties
Abril Fonseca-García1, Brayan Hernández Osorio2, Rocio Yaneli Aguirre-Loredo1
1Centro de Investigación en Química Aplicada (CIQA), Blvd. Enrique Reyna Hermosillo 140, Saltillo, Coahuila 25294, Mexico; CONACYT-CIQA, Blvd. Enrique Reyna Hermosillo 140, Saltillo, Coahuila 25294, Mexico.
Abstract:
In this work, the miscibility of blends of thermoplastic Achira Starch (AS) and polylactic acid (PLA) was evaluated, assisted by Pluronic® F127 an amphiphilic triblock copolymer that acts as a surfactant and promotes the reduction of surface tension among AS and PLA in solution by emulsion stabilization. Different formulations of AS/PLA blends were obtained at 75:25, 50:50, and 25:75 containing 0 %, 4 %, and 8 % of Pluronic® F127, and glycerol was used as a plasticizer. Solvent casting was the method used to obtain blended polymeric films, which were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wettability by contact angle measurements. The results demonstrate that miscibility of PLA in AS or vice versa was achieved. The stability of emulsion and posterior drying of the different formulations allows the production of films for packaging, pharmaceutical, or biomedical applications.
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