Biodegradability, physical, mechanical and antimicrobial attributes of starch nanocomposites containing chitosan nanoparticles.

This study aimed to develop a plasticized starch (PS) based film loaded with chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs, 1, 2, 3, and 4%) as a reinforcing and antibacterial agent. We examined the morphology, biodegradability, mechanical, thermo-mechanical, and barrier properties of the PS/CNPs films. The antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive (S.

Biodegradability and mechanical properties of reinforced starch nanocomposites using cellulose nanofibers.

In this study the effects of chemical modification of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) on the biodegradability and mechanical properties of reinforced thermoplastic starch (TPS) nanocomposites was evaluated. The CNFs were modified using acetic anhydride and the nanocomposites were fabricated by solution casting from corn starch with glycerol/water as the plasticizer and 10 wt% of either CNFs or acetylated CNFs (ACNFs). The morphology, water absorption (WA), water vapor permeability rate (WVP), tensile, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and fungal degradation properties of the obtained nanocomposites were investigated.

Solvent-free acetylation of cellulose nanofibers for improving compatibility and dispersion.

Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), as bio-materials derived from wood or non-wood plants, have the advantages of being biodegradable, renewable, low cost, and having good mechanical properties compared to synthetic nanofibers. CNFs have been used as reinforcement in polymeric matrices, however, due to their polar surface, their dispersibility in non-polar solvents and compatibility with hydrophobic matrices are poor. In this work, the chemical modification of CNFs, using acetic anhydride in the presence of pyridine as a catalyst, was studied with the aim of changing the surface properties.