Resumo

GONZALEZ, Jeanette et al. Characterization of polypropylene/cassava starch compounds obtained in an internal mixer. Rev. Fac. Ing. UCV [online]. 2009, vol.24, n.1, pp.31-44. ISSN 0798-4065.

The following work presents a broad characterization of Polypropylene and Cassava Starch blends (PP/CS) through the analysis of their thermal, thermodegradative, tensile, rheological and morphological properties, as well as the study of the water absorption behavior by FT-IR and the degradability on an agricultural soil. It was found that the addition of CS to PP increases its thermal stability, the effect being greater when the CS is plasticized (PCS) and when PP-g-MAH is added. The CS acts as a nucleating agent increasing the crystallization temperature and the degree of crystallinity. The Young’s modulus and the tensile strength of the PP increase with 10 phr of CS and start to decrease at higher contents. However, when PP-g-MAH is added to the PP/CS blends, the mentioned properties decrease. Finally, the degradability of the PP/CS blend in an agricultural soil significantly affects the Young’s modulus, whose values decrease from 1841 to 834 MPa.

Palavras-chave : Cassava starch; PP/cassava starch blends; Thermal behavior; Mechanical behavior; Biodegradability.