Enzymatic degradation of some nanocomposites of poly(vinyl alcohol) with starch

A study of the enzymatic degradation of some montmorillonite-containing nanocomposites of poly(vinyl alcohol) with starch was based on the determinations of mass loss and the reducing sugars. The degraded residues have been examined by FT-IR spectroscopy and optical microscopy. It has been established that the nanoparticles hinder degradation, while the susceptibility to enzymatic degradation varies in the order: PVA/starch/nanocore > PVA/starch/Bentonite > PVA/starch/Peruvian clay. Crown Copyright (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.