Tensile and water barrier properties of cassava starch composite films reinforced by synthetic zeolite and beidellite

Composites films were prepared by the casting method using native cassava starch plasticized with glycerol and 3D or 2D synthetic fillers i.e. Beta zeolite and Na-beidellite type 2:1 phyllosilicate. Special attention was paid to the effect of the filler contents and type on the mechanical and barrier properties. It was shown that films reinforced with lyophilized Beta zeolite presented both high water solubility (WS) and water vapor permeability (WVP) values than the pristine starch whereas an improvement on the WVP was found for composites prepared from Na-beidellite or from non lyophilized Beta zeolite. For the two types of fillers, a drastic increase of the mechanical properties (especially in the Young's modulus) was observed. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.