| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 691901 | Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers | 2012 | 5 Pages |
The aims of the study were to investigate the effect of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and nano-SiO2 within the thermoplastic starch (TPS) blends on the rate and extent of starch enzymatic hydrolysis using enzymes α-amylase and amyloglucosidase. The results of this study have revealed that blends with a nano-SiO2 content at 5 wt.% exhibited a significantly reduced rate and extent of starch hydrolysis. The results suggest that this may have been attributed to interactions between starch and nano-SiO2 that further prevented enzymatic attack on the remaining starch phases within the blend. The total solids that remained after 6000 min were 54 wt.% (TPS:PVA); 61 wt.% (TPS:PVA:1% nano-SiO2); 64 wt.% (TPS:PVA:3% nano-SiO2); 68 wt.% (TPS:PVA:5% nano-SiO2). The rate of glucose production from each nanocomposite substrates was most rapid for the substrate without nano-SiO2 and decreased with the addition of nano-SiO2, for TPS:PVA blend (226 μg/ml h), 166 μg/ml h (TPS:PVA:1% nano-SiO2), 122 μg/ml h (TPS:PVA:3% nano-SiO2) and 94 μg/ml h for (TPS:PVA:5% nano-SiO2). Enzymatic degradation behaviour of TPS:PVA:nano-SiO2 was based on the determinations of water resistance, weight loss and the reducing sugars. It has been established that the nanoparticles hinder degradation, while the susceptibility to enzymatic degradation varies in the order: TPS:PVA > TPS:PVA:nano-SiO2.
► In this paper, several starch/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/nano-silicon dioxide (nano-SiO2) biodegradable blend films were prepared. ► The physical and biodegradable properties of this film were also studied. ► The nano-SiO2 and starch/PVA blend also formed a network structure to prevent the water molecule from dissolving, which greatly increased the water resistance and mechanical properties of the film.
