PROCESSABILITIES AND MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF THE BIODEGRADABLE LDPE MODIFIED STARCH BLENDS

An investigation of the biodegradable polymers based on starch has been accomplished. Starch needs to be modified before blending with low density polyethylene (LDPE) because of its hydrophilicity. Three kinds of modification methods were applied to obtain the compatibility to starch-LDPE blends. The first one was the esterification of the hydroxyl group of starch with acetic anhydride. The second was the copolymerization of acrylonitrile and styrene onto starch. The last was the esterification reaction of the hydroxyl group of starch with three kinds of ionomers. The tensile strength, % elongation, Young's modulus, and shear viscosities of blends of the modified starch and LDPE were examined. Ionomer-treated starch showed better compatibility with LDPE to give better performances than other blends.