Water evaporation induced in-situ interfacial compatibilization for all-natural and high-strength straw-fiber/starch...

In this paper, we proposed a novel and green strategy based on water evaporation induced in-situ interfacial compatibilization (WEIC) mechanism for fabricating high-strength and all-natural lignocellulose/starch composites. This mechanism exploits the natural compatibility of the lignocellulose and starch and was tested through an internal mixing process with regulated water evaporation. Specifically, we revealed that a restrained layer was in-situ formed at the interface of the lignocellulose and starch during the internal mixing process; a faster water evaporation rate thickens this restrained layer, restricts the starch's molecular movement and significantly increases the composite's mechanical properties. The highest tensile strength and Young's modulus of the composites achieved are 21.7 ± 0.8 MPa and 2.2 ± 0.1 GPa, respectively, superior to many existing starch/lignocellulose composites. Thus, this work provides new insight into the compatibilization of various hydrophilic polysaccharides and paves new avenues for developing greener and more facile methods to fabricate all-polysaccharide composites.