Separation of different valency states of iron,arsenic, antimony,mercury, tin and chromium by thin-layer chromatography

Summary Different valency states of iron, mercury, tin, arsenic, antimony and chromium were separated by the thin-layer chromatography on starch and cellulose, using nine different solvent systems.     

Influence of Amylose-Amylopectin Ratio on Properties of Extruded Starch Plastic Sheets

Abstract

Starch plastic sheets were prepared by extrusion processing of mixtures of granular high-amylopectin and high-amylose starches in the presence of glycerol and water as plasticizers. Amylose content varied between 0 and 70% (w/w). Structural characterization and determination of the mechanical properties of the sheets were performed after aging the materials between 40–65% relative humidity for 2 and 35 weeks and at 90% relative humidity for two weeks. The materials were semicrystalline and viscoelastic. The materials were described as complex heterogeneous multiphase materials. They consisted of amorphous and crystalline phases of amylose and amylopectin as well as granular structures and domains of amylose, amylopectin and amylose-amylopectin helices. Single-helical type crystallinity was formed solely by amylose directly after processing while B-type crystallinity was rapidly formed in amylose-rich materials and slowly during aging of amylopectin-rich materials.

The stress-strain and stress-relaxation properties were related to differences in amylose content, degree of crystallization and water content. The amorphous amylopectin rich materials were flexible and soft but showed an increase in stiffness and a decrease in elongation due to crystallization. Amylopectin-rich materials showed unfavorable relaxation, shrinkage and cracking during aging. The materials rich in amylopectin were sensitive to water content while the amylose-rich materials were not sensitive to water in the range of 9–13% (w/w). Stress-strain relaxation behaviors of the materials were dependent on starch structure and on experimental conditions such as strain rate and extension by which the ratio of elastic and viscous response were varied. An increase in relaxation times was found with increasing amylose content and water content for the materials with solely amylose crystallinity.     

Properties of Starch Blends with Biodegradable Polymers

Abstract

Starch, one of the most inexpensive and most readily available of all natural polymers, can be processed into thermoplastic materials only in the presence of plasticizers and under the action of heat and shear. Poor water resistance and low strength are limiting factors for the use of materials manufactured only from starch, and hence the modification of starch is often achieved by blending aliphatic polyesters. In this review, the literatures concerning the properties of various blends of starch and aliphatic polyesters have been summarized. The biodegradable rates of blends can be controlled to a certain extent depending on the constitutions of blends, and the mechanical properties of blends are close to those of traditional plastics such as polyethylene and polystyrene. The reduction of their sensitivity to humidity makes these materials suitable for the production of biodegradable films, injection-molded items, and foams.     

Ultrasonic investigation on aqueous polysaccharide (starch) at 298.15 K

The ultrasonic velocity, density and viscosity at 298.15 K have been measured in the binary system of starch in aqueous medium. The acoustical parameters such as adiabatic compressibility (β), free length (L_f), free volume (V_f), internal pressure (π_i), acoustical impedance (Z), relative association (R_A), Rao’s constant (R), Wada’s constant (W), classical absorption coefficients (α/f²), relaxation time (τ) and relaxation strength (r) are calculated. The results are interpreted in terms of molecular interaction between the components of the mixtures.     

A dynamic U-tube rheometer of novel design for the study of weak gels and foams

A novel rheometer based on the U-tube technique of Saunders and Ward has been developed to determine the shear moduli of very weak gels and foams. The instrument is fully automatic and operates in both static and oscillatory modes. The change of the shear modulus, with the time, was monitored in three series of samples to illustrate the performance of the instrument. The first series comprised gelatinized maize starch aqueous suspensions ranging in starch concentration from 6% to 12%. The second was a series of gelatine aqueous solutions ranging in gelatine content from 2% to 12%. The third was two commercial samples of shaving foam. The results indicated that the instrument is particularly suitable for the study of the gelation mechanism in very weak gels as well as for the study of the stability of foams in relation to time.     

Interfacial phenomena in starch/fumed silica at varied hydration levels

Hydrated powders of non-gelatinised starch and hydrogels of gelatinised starch alone or with addition of modified nanosilica (with grafted aminopropylmethylsilyl groups substituting one-third of surface silanols) were studied using broadband dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS), thermally stimulated depolarisation current (TSDC) method and ¹H NMR spectroscopy with layer-by-layer freezing-out of bulk and interfacial waters. The ¹H NMR and TSDC techniques with the use of Gibbs–Thomson relation for the freezing point depression allow us to calculate: (i) the thermodynamic parameters of interfacial water weakly and strongly bound to polymer molecules and nanoparticles; (ii) size distributions of pores filled by structured water; (iii) surface area and volume of micro-, meso- and macropores. The DRS and TSDC results for hydrogels and hydrated powders with starch/modified fumed silica show that the β- and γ-relaxations of starch are strongly affected by water and functionalised silica nanoparticles which slow down both low- and high-frequency and low- and high-temperature relaxations.     

离子液体增塑改性玉米淀粉/聚丁二酸丁二醇酯共混材料的结构与性能

为考察离子液体对淀粉/聚丁二酸丁二醇酯(PBS)的作用效果,降低淀粉/PBS的脆性,以离子液体(1-丁基-3-甲基咪唑氯盐[BMIM]Cl)作为增塑改性剂通过熔融共混法制备了玉米淀粉/聚丁二酸丁二醇酯(PBS)共混材料,采用红外光谱(FTIR)、扫描电镜(SEM)、热重分析(TGA)、X射线衍射分析(XRD)及力学性能测试方法研究了[BMIM]Cl对淀粉/PBS共混材料结构和性能的影响.结果表明,[BMIM]Cl能与淀粉/PBS分子发生强相互作用,破坏淀粉/PBS共混物中原有的氢键与结晶结构,增强界面相互作用,改善相容性,进而改变淀粉/PBS共混材料的结构与性能;[BMIM]Cl的加入不影响淀粉/PBS的热稳定性,可使材料玻璃化转变温度(Tg)、结晶温度(Tc)、冷结晶温度(Tcc)及结晶度(Xc)降低.[BMIM]Cl具有显著降低淀粉/PBS脆性的作用,使其断裂伸长率大幅度增加,拉伸强度和弹性模量降低.     

Mechanical and anti-pathogenic characterization of starch-based materials

Food products are susceptible to the growth of pathogenic microbes, such as Escherichia coli. Smart packaging is an effective non-invasive route to reducing food pathogens. Some lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus plantarum inhibit the growth of pathogens. We report here the incorporation of L. plantarum within a starch matrix using sucrose as a protectant and glycerol as a plasticizer. The anti-pathogenic and mechanical characteristics of the films produced were tested. The properties of the films varied depending on their composition, with tensile strengths ranging from 6.8 – 8.7 MPa and maximum tensile stress relaxation from 4 – 13%. Antimicrobial activity (agar disk diffusion) assays showed that films incorporating L. plantarum inhibited E. coli moderately, and when assisted with starch-degrading α-amylase, E. coli growth was reduced significantly. These findings demonstrate the potential of this natural anti-pathogenic film to be applied as an edible coating for food and as a second layer with traditional synthetic thermoplastics to improve food shelf-life.     

Effect of a natural polyphenolic extract on the properties of a biodegradable starch-based polymer

A polyphenol-containing extract from winery bio-waste (EP) has been used as an additive for a starch-based polymer (Mater-Bi). EP was used to tailor Mater-Bi properties, thus avoiding the use of synthetic polymer additives. It was found that EP was able to efficiently modulate the processing, mechanical, thermal and biodegradation properties. The observed decrease in melt viscosity showed that EP could improve productivity in polymer processing. Owing to the plasticizing activity of the additive, larger values of elongation at break were found. Moreover, the Mater-Bi crosslinking, which occurs upon thermal aging, was delayed in the presence of EP. Finally, the bio-disintegration rate of doped Mater-Bi decreased, thus suggesting that EP acted as an antimicrobial agent by interfering with the bio-digestion of the polymer films.     

Physical and degradation properties of binary or ternary blends composed of poly (lactic acid), thermoplastic starch and GMA grafted POE

Binary and ternary blends composed of poly (lactic acid) (PLA), thermoplastic starch (TPS) and glycidyl methacrylate grafted poly (ethylene octane) (GPOE) were prepared using Haake Mixer. The mechanical morphology, thermal properties, water absorption, and degradation properties of the blends were also investigated. The elongation at break and impact strength of the ternary blends were greatly increased by the filling of GPOE. Compared to non-GPOE binary blends, the morphology of ternary blends with GPOE indicated that starch granules melted and there was good compatibility between PLA matrix and TPS. The mechanism and schematic diagram of the reactions in PLA, TPS, and GPOE were proposed and proved by testing and observing the morphology. Moreover, the biodegradation and thermal decomposition were studied through compost testing and thermal gravimetric analysis, respectively. Biodegradation results indicated that the blends have the excellent biodegrade ability.