Evaluation of the effect of urea as plasticizer on the properties of glutardialdehyde modified starch

Abstract

Biodegradable products are in high demand nowadays as the concern on non-degradable plastics is on the rise. This paper reports on the thermoplastic made from glutaraldehyde modified corn starch with urea as the plasticizer. The corn starch was diluted in 2M concentration of NaOH and mixed with 20% concentration of glutardialdehyde. Then, urea was added at 20%, 35% and 50% based on the weight of starch. Thermoplastic starch was characterized using the FT-IR and TGA. Thermoplastic panels were made and evaluated for physical and mechanical properties. The FT-IR analysis has identified that the samples have a nitrogen-containing compound and carbonyl group as a functional group. The bending and tensile strength test show that sample with 50 % urea outperformed the other samples in term of mechanical strength. The higher amount of urea compound helps to improve the mechanical performance of the thermoplastics samples.