Preparation of Borax Cross-Linked Starch Nanoparticles for Improvement of Mechanical Properties of Maize Starch Films

Recently, starch nanoparticles have attracted widespread attention from various fields. In this study, a new strategy for preparing covalent-cross-linked starch nanoparticles was developed using boron ester bonds formed between debranched starch (DBS) and borax. The nanoparticles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The obtained nanoparticles were spherical with a size of 100-200 nm. The formation of boron ester bonds was confirmed by FTIR. The as-prepared starch nanoparticle exhibited a low relative crystallinity of 13.6%-23.5%. Compared with pure starch film, the tensile strength of starch film with 10% starch nanoparticles increased about 45%, and the elongation at break percentage of starch film with 5% starch nanoparticles increased about 20%. The new strategy of forming starch nanoparticles by using boron ester bonds will advance the research of carbohydrate nanoparticles.