Starch in Polymer Compositions

A large number of inorganic and organic substances are used as fillers in polymer composites. Calcium carbonate, barium sulfate, clays, silica, and talc are common examples. Glass beads are often used in traffic paints to increase reflectivity. Metal fibers are sometimes added to impart conductivity or to improve metal plating. A number of organic materials are also used, including wood flout cellulose, and even corncobs. We will encounter starch/ ... 

In recent years starch, the polysaccharide of cereals, legumes and tubers, has acquired relevance as a biodegradable polymer and is becoming increasingly important as an industrial material (Fritz Aichholzer, 1995). Starch is a thermoplastic polymer and it can therefore be extruded or injection moulded (Balta Calleja et al, 1999). It can also be processed by application of pressure and heat. Starch has been used successfully as a matrix in composites of natural fibres (flax, jute, etc.). The use of starch in these composites could be of value in applications such as automobile interiors. An advantage of this biopolymer is that its preparation as well as its destruction do not act negatively upon the environment. A further advantage of starch is its low price as compared with conventional synthetic thermoplastics (PE, PP). 

Martinez-Hemandez AL, Velasco-Santos C (2012) Keratin fibers from chicken feathers structure and advances in polymer composites. Nova Publishers, New York, pp 149-211 Martinez-Hemandez AL, Velasco-Santos C, de-Icaza M, Castano VM (2007) D5mamical-mechanical and thermal analysis of polymeric composites reinforced with keratin biofibers from chicken feathers. Compos Part B Eng 38 405 10 Mathew AP, Dufresne A (2002) Morphological investigation of nanocomposites from sorbitol plasticized starch and tunicin whiskers. Biomacromolecules 3 609-617 Md. Islama S, Hamdana S, Talibb ZA, Ahmeda AS, Md. Rahmana R (2012) Tropical wood polymer nanocomposite (WPNC) The impact of nanoclay on dynamic mechanical thermal properties. Compos Sci Technol 72 1995-2001... 

Starch-thermoplastic polymer composites have also been prepared by graft polymerization. Chemical treatment of starch leads to the development of free radicals in the starch backbone, and these can act in the presence of various polymers (polystyrene, polyethylene, and poly(vinyl halides)) as macroinitiators to yield polymer grafts of high molecular weight [6-8]. 

Starch is a polysaccharide found in many plant species. Com and potatoes are two common sources of industrial starch. The composition of starch varies somewhat in terms of the amount of branching of the polymer chains (11). Its principal use as a flocculant is in the Bayer process for extracting aluminum from bauxite ore. The digestion of bauxite in sodium hydroxide solution produces a suspension of finely divided iron minerals and siUcates, called red mud, in a highly alkaline Hquor. Starch is used to settle the red mud so that relatively pure alumina can be produced from the clarified Hquor. It has been largely replaced by acryHc acid and acrylamide-based (11,12) polymers, although a number of plants stiH add some starch in addition to synthetic polymers to reduce the level of residual suspended soHds in the Hquor. Starch [9005-25-8] can be modified with various reagents to produce semisynthetic polymers. The principal one of these is cationic starch, which is used as a retention aid in paper production as a component of a dual system (13,14) or a microparticle system (15). 

Pyrotechnic mixtures may also contain additional components that are added to modify the bum rate, enhance the pyrotechnic effect, or serve as a binder to maintain the homogeneity of the blended mixture and provide mechanical strength when the composition is pressed or consoHdated into a tube or other container. These additional components may also function as oxidizers or fuels in the composition, and it can be anticipated that the heat output, bum rate, and ignition sensitivity may all be affected by the addition of another component to a pyrotechnic composition. An example of an additional component is the use of a catalyst, such as iron oxide, to enhance the decomposition rate of ammonium perchlorate. Diatomaceous earth or coarse sawdust may be used to slow up the bum rate of a composition, or magnesium carbonate (an acid neutralizer) may be added to help stabilize mixtures that contain an acid-sensitive component such as potassium chlorate. Binders include such materials as dextrin (partially hydrolyzed starch), various gums, and assorted polymers such as poly(vinyl alcohol), epoxies, and polyesters. Polybutadiene mbber binders are widely used as fuels and binders in the soHd propellant industry. The production of colored flames is enhanced by the presence of chlorine atoms in the pyrotechnic flame, so chlorine donors such as poly(vinyl chloride) or chlorinated mbber are often added to color-producing compositions, where they also serve as fuels. 

Polymers. In combination with various metal salts, sorbitol is used as a stabilizer against heat and light in poly(vinyl chloride) (qv) resins and, with a phenohc antioxidant, as a stabilizer in uncured styrene—butadiene mbber (qv) compositions and in polyolefins (see Heat stabilizers Olefin POLYMERS Rubbercompounding). Heat-sealable films are prepared from a dispersion of sorbitol and starch in water (255). Incorporation of sorbitol in coUagen films gready restricts their permeabiUty to carbon dioxide (256). 

Cellulose, which is more fibrous than wood flour, is used as a filler for urea and melamine plastics. Melamine dishware is a laminated structure consisting of molded resin-impregnated paper. Starch and soybean derivatives are biodegradable, and the rate of disintegration of resin composites containing these fillers may be controlled by the amount of these fillers present in polymers. 

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