TY  - EJOU
AU  - Santos, Liliane Cruz Gomes de Souza 
AU  - Ayres, Eliane 
AU  - Padula, Flávio Renato de Góes 

TI  - Tailoring the Properties of Thermoplastic Starch with Bamboo Powder and/or Hollow Glass Microspheres
T2  - Journal of Renewable Materials

PY  - 2017
VL  - 5
IS  - 3-4
SN  - 2164-6341

AB  - In this study, bamboo powder and/or hollow glass microspheres were added to thermoplastic cassava starch in order to overcome its drawbacks. The composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), tensile testing, water contact angle measurement and X-ray diffractometry (XRD), in addition to their thermal properties. The mechanical strength of the composites showed a general decline with increasing bamboo powder content while the water contact angles increased up to 15% of bamboo powder content (% w/w dry starch). The addition of hollow glass microspheres provides an optimal balance between hydrophobicity and mechanical strength. The results pointed to improved properties that are expected to make thermoplastic starch more attractive and hence more competitive with synthetic polymers.
KW  - Thermoplastic starch
KW  -  bamboo powder
KW  -  hollow glass microspheres
KW  -  wettability

DO  - 10.7569/JRM.2017.634121