Starch-g-PCHMA copolymers: preparation and properties

The chemical modification of potato starch by cyclohexyl methacrylate monomer in the presence of potassium persulfate as an initiator and some of physico-chemical properties of the resulted copolymers have been presented. On a basis of the received results, the maximum of the grafting (45.3% +/- 0.2) was found using the following conditions: potato starch to cyclohexyl methacrylate ratio 1:3, an initiator concentration 1.5 mass%, the reaction temperature 70 degrees C and the reaction time 90 min. The obtained copolymers showed ca. 1.9-5.5 times lower polar solvent swelling, ca. 2.2-9.6 times higher non-polar swelling, ca. 1.6-3.6 times higher moisture resistance and ca. 1.9-6.3 times higher chemical resistance as compared to these properties of unmodified potato starch. Moreover, as it was stated based on the TG/DTG analyses, the novel materials were thermally stable up to the temperature of ca. 180 degrees C. Their pyrolysis process has included at least four stages where the emission of different structure volatiles was detected by a FTIR analysis.

Automated summary

The chemical modification of potato starch with cyclohexyl methacrylate resulted in copolymers with lower polar solvent swelling and higher chemical resistance. These novel materials exhibited excellent thermal stability and the pyrolysis process revealed emission of different structure volatiles.