Mixture design applied for the study of the tartaric acid effect on starch/polyester films

Tartaric acid (TA), a dicarboxylic acid, can act as a compatibiliser in starch/polyester blends. A mixture design was proposed to evaluate the effect of TA on the properties of starch/poly (butylene adipate co-terephthalate) (PBAT) blown films plasticised with glycerol. The interaction between the starch/PBAT and the TA has a positive effect on the tensile strength and puncture force. Additionally, greater proportions of TA increased Young's modulus. The starch + PBAT/TA and Gly/TA interactions contributed to a reduction in the water vapour permeability of the films. The inclusion of TA did not change the crystallinity of the samples. Formulations with intermediate proportions of TA (0.8 g/100g) were shown to produce the best compatibilising effect. This was observed by DMA analysis as a consequence of the perfect equilibrium between the contributions of TA as a compatibiliser and in the acidolysis of starch, resulting in films with a tensile strength of 5.93 MPa, a possible alternative to non-biodegradable packaging. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.