Comparative analyses of rice husk cellulose fiber and kaolin particulate reinforced thermoplastic cassava starch biocomposites using the solution casting technique
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Polymer Composites
Abstract
The potential of biodegradable packaging materials from thermoplastic cassava
starch (TPS) reinforced with rice husk cellulose fibers (RHCF) and kaolin particu lates (KP) using the solution casting method has been presented. This involved
the blending of TPS and RHCF/KP in a plasticizer of ~4 ml of glycerol and ~45 ml
of distilled water at 125 C and stirred at 60 rpm until a gel was formed. The gel
was cast into sheets and bone-shaped tensile specimens and allowed to dry for
5 days and characterized. The results show a semicrystalline structure for TPS
with a ~36% increase in crystallinity after reinforcement. The O-H bond
stretching and the C-H bending bonds due to starch–glycerol reactions were the
common functional groups in TPS–RHCF biocomposites, and Si-O-C bonds were
characteristics of the silica phase in the kaolin. The water vapor transmission rate
(WVTR) reduced to ~34% with KP reinforcements from ~238 g/m.day to 177 g/m.
day and to ~74 g/m.day and ~164% for TPS–RHCF. The strength increased with
up to 50 wt% kaolin content; ~0.96 MPa yield strength and ~2.60 MPa ultimate
tensile strength (UTS) were recorded. For the RHCF reinforced composites, TPS 50 wt% also showed high strengths of ~0.96 MPa yield strength and ~3.50 MPa
UTS. The WVTR reduced as the content of kaolin was increased. Typically, from 0 to
30 wt% volume fraction of kaolin, the WVTR was reduced by ~34% to 177 g/m.
day for TPS–kaolin and by ~164% to ~74 g/m.day in TPS–RHCF. The as-prepared
biocomposites have the potential as good packaging materials.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
biocomposites, kaolin particulates, plasticizers, rice husk cellulose fibers, thermoplastic cassava starch (TPS)
Citation
Agyei-Tuffour B, Asante JT, Nyankson E, et al. Comparative analyses of rice husk cellulose fiber and kaolin particulate reinforced thermoplastic cassava starch biocomposites using the solution casting technique. Polymer Composites. 2021;42:3216–3230. https://doi.org/10.1002/pc.26052