Starch/Alkane Diol Materials: Unexpected Ultraporous Surfaces, Near-Isoporous Cores, and Films Moving on Water

Abstract

The aim of this study was to find alternative starch plasticizers to glycerol that yielded a less tacky material in high-moisture conditions without leading to starch crystallization. A range of glycerol films containing different potential plasticizers (linear alkane diols) were therefore produced, and it was shown that 1,3-propanediol, in combination with glycerol, was a possible solution to the problem. Several additional interesting features of the starch films were however also revealed. The larger diols, instead of showing plasticizing features, yielded a variety of unexpected structures and film properties. Films with 1,6-hexanediol and 1,7-heptanediol showed an ultraporous film surface and near-isoporous core. The most striking feature was that starch films with these two diols moved/rotated over the surface when placed on water, with no other stimulus than the interaction with water. Films with 1,8-octanediol and 1,10-decanediol did not show these features, but there was clear evidence of a structure with phase-separated crystallized diol in a starch matrix, as observed in high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images.

Published in

ACS Omega
2020, Volume: 5, number: 44, pages: 28863-28869 Publisher: AMER CHEMICAL SOC

SLU Authors

• Capezza, Antonio José

  • Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)

UKÄ Subject classification

Polymer Chemistry


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.0c04521

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/110482