ABSTRACT
Alain Dufresne Ecole Internationale du Papier, de la Communication Imprimée des Biomatériaux Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble
William J. Orts Bioproduct Chemistry and Engineering Unit, U.S. Department of Agriculture
9.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 206 9.2 Nanocomposites .................................................................................... 207
9.2.1 Starch as matrix in nanocomposites ...................................... 208 9.2.2 Nanocomposite classication .................................................. 209 9.2.3 Fillers .......................................................................................... 210
9.2.3.1 Clays ..............................................................................211 9.2.3.2 Cellulose ...................................................................... 213
9.2.4 Preparation, processing, and characterization of nanocomposites ......................................................................... 217 9.2.4.1 Preparation .................................................................. 217 9.2.4.2 Processing ................................................................... 218 9.2.4.3 Characterization ......................................................... 219
9.3 Starch-based nanocomposites ............................................................. 226 9.3.1 Starch nanocomposites with inorganic reinforcements ...... 226 9.3.2 Nanocomposites based on starch and organic
reinforcements ........................................................................... 232 9.3.3 Starch-based nanocomposite blends: Nanocomposites
of starch in combination with other polymers ..................... 237 9.3.4 Methods of improving ller and matrix interaction in
starch-based nanocomposites ................................................. 242 9.4 Final remarks ......................................................................................... 243 References ........................................................................................................ 246
9.1 Introduction In recent years there has been a growing effort to develop new biodegradable materials from environmentally friendly and renewable resources whose feasibility in suiting their properties to a particular application can result in easily tailored composite materials. The utilization of natural polymers such as starch, lignin, cellulose, and proteins in the plastics industry is considered a viable approach to reduce surplus agricultural products and to develop biodegradable materials. Natural polymers derived from renewable resources have these environmental advantages when compared with petroleum-derived ones. Starch is one of the most studied and promising raw materials for the production of biodegradable materials because it is a widely abundant, relatively lowcost, and renewable natural polysaccharide obtained from a great variety of crops (Roper and Koch, 1990; Scott and Gilead, 1995; Chandra and Rustgi, 1998).
