Cross-linked potato starch-based blend films using ascorbic acid as a plasticizer.

The main objects of this study were to prepare the cross-linked potato starch/polyvinyl alcohol blend films with ascorbic acid (AsA) added as a plasticizer with and without heat curing and to examine their mechanical properties, elongation at break, degree of swelling, solubility, water vapor absorption, thermal properties, optical properties, and biodegradability. The specific surface area, pore volume, and topography of the films with and without heat curing were also investigated via nitrogen adsorption and desorption isotherms and atomic force microscopy analysis. The results indicate that the cured films possess mechanical, thermal, and optical properties enhanced compared to those of noncured films. The mechanical and water barrier properties of the AsA-added film were also found to be superior to those of other films with polyol plasticizers (glycerol and xylitol). The biodegradability test revealed that the prepared films are degraded by ~35-80% after 165 days.