Study of Oxygen Permeability and Flame Retardancy Properties of Biodegradable Polymethylmethacrylate/Starch Composites

Polymethylmethacrylate/starch (PMMA/starch) composites were prepared by emulsion polymerization method using potassium persulphate (KPS) as the radical initiator. The interaction of starch with polymethylmethacrylate was evidenced by ultraviolet-visible (UV-visible) spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The structure of PMMA/starch composite was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) study and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The thermal properties of starch, PMMA/starch composites were compared with the virgin PMMA sample. The PMMA/starch composites were found to be flame retardant material from the measurement of limiting oxygen index (LOI) of samples. The biodegradability of the PMMA/starch composites were studied by active sludge water and it was found that degradability of composites increases with increasing time interval. The oxygen permeability of PMMA/starch composites was substantially decreased as compared to virgin PMMA. The reduction of oxygen permeability of the PMMA/starch composites may enable the materials applicable in packaging industries. POLYM. COMPOS., 33:79-84, 2012. (C) 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers