Study of the Plasticizer Effect and Characterization on Diverse Pseudo-Thermoplastic Starch Biodegradable Films

Recently, pseudo-thermoplastic starch (PTS) has been developed to replace industrial plastics because of its advantage in biodegradability. In this study, potato, corn, and wheat starches, which have been modified into PTS biodegradable films by glycerol plasticization, were investigated. For the evaluation of the suitable compositions on PTS, we focus on analysis of the plasticizer effect and characterization. As the results show that the strength and modulus of pseudo-thermoplastic potato starch (PTP) film were respectively, 12.7 and 59.6 MPa, with lower gelatinization temperature (60°C), and the thermal processibility was better than other starches. It is beneficial for the production and application of biodegradable materials.