Effect of Incorporation Nanocrystalline Corn Straw Cellulose and Polyethylene Glycol on Properties of Biodegradable Films.

This work aimed to study the effect of nanocrystalline corn straw cellulose (NCSC) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) on the properties of biodegradable corn distarch phosphate (CDP) films. The mechanical properties and barrier properties were investigated. Meanwhile, the compatibility, crystallization, thermal stability, and morphological structure of the films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (X-RD), thermogravimetric (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In contrast with the CDP films, incorporation of NCSC in the films improved their tensile strength (TS) significantly, and incorporation of PEG improved their elongation at break (EAB) significantly else. PEG, CDP, and NCSC (P-CDP/NCSC) blend films had the best barrier properties. The thermal stability of the films was increased by the incorporation of NCSC. X-RD showed that CDP and NCSC (CDP/NCSC) films had higher crystallinity. SEM revealed that all films had smooth surface, while the films presented a uniform network structure through the incorporation of NCSC.