Lai Di Sheng, Osman Azlin Fazlina, Adnan Sinar Arzuria, Ibrahim Ismail, Ahmad Salimi Midhat Nabil, Alrashdi Awad A
Faculty of Chemical Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Arau 02600, Perlis, Malaysia.
Biomedical and Nanotechnology Research Group, Center of Excellent Geopolymer and Green Technology (CEGeoTech), Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Arau 02600, Perlis, Malaysia.
Polymers (Basel). 2022 Jun 24;14(13):2567. doi: 10.3390/polym14132567.
Recently, hybrid fillers have been widely used to improve the properties of biopolymers. The synergistic effects of the hybrid fillers can have a positive impact on biopolymers, including thermoplastic corn starch film (TPCS). In this communication, we highlight the effectiveness of hybrid fillers in inhibiting the aging process of TPCS. The TPCS, thermoplastic corn starch composite films (TPCS-C), and hybrid thermoplastic corn starch composite film (TPCS-HC) were stored for 3 months to study the effect of hybrid filler on the starch retrogradation. TPCS-C and TPCS-HC were prepared by casting method with 5 wt% of fillers: nanocellulose (NC) and bentonite (BT). The alteration of the mechanical properties, aging behavior, and crystalline structure of the films were analyzed through the tensile test, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and water absorption analysis. The obtained data were correlated to each other to analyze the retrogradation of the TPCS, which is the main factor that contributes to the aging process of the biopolymer. Results signify that incorporating the hybrid filler (NC + BT) in the TPCS/4BT1NC films has effectively prevented retrogradation of the starch molecules after being stored for 3 months. On the contrary, the virgin TPCS film showed the highest degree of retrogradation resulting in a significant decrement in the film's flexibility. These findings proved the capability of the green hybrid filler in inhibiting the aging of the TPCS.
近年来，混合填料已被广泛用于改善生物聚合物的性能。混合填料的协同效应可对生物聚合物产生积极影响，包括热塑性玉米淀粉薄膜（TPCS）。在本通讯中，我们强调了混合填料在抑制TPCS老化过程中的有效性。将TPCS、热塑性玉米淀粉复合薄膜（TPCS-C）和混合热塑性玉米淀粉复合薄膜（TPCS-HC）储存3个月，以研究混合填料对淀粉回生的影响。TPCS-C和TPCS-HC采用流延法制备，填料含量为5 wt%：纳米纤维素（NC）和膨润土（BT）。通过拉伸试验、傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）、X射线衍射（XRD）、差示扫描量热法（DSC）和吸水性分析，对薄膜的力学性能、老化行为和晶体结构变化进行了分析。将所得数据相互关联，以分析TPCS的回生情况，这是导致生物聚合物老化过程的主要因素。结果表明，在TPCS/4BT1NC薄膜中加入混合填料（NC + BT），在储存3个月后有效地防止了淀粉分子的回生。相反，原始TPCS薄膜显示出最高程度的回生，导致薄膜柔韧性显著下降。这些发现证明了绿色混合填料抑制TPCS老化的能力。
