Preparation and characterization of potato starch based low density polyethylene/low density polyethylene grafted maleic anhydride biodegradable polymer composite

Polysaccharide-filled plastics have attracted immense interest from research scientists as a means to develop a biodisintegrable polymer. The objective of the present study is to develop a biodisintegrable polymer composite using potato starch, which may be a step toward an alternative user friendly polymer composite. Keeping in mind the compatibility issue between potato starch and polyethylene, we used a base material with a polar group in its low density polyethylene (LDPE) backbone. Polymer composite sheets with a combination of potato starch, LDPE, and LDPE grafted maleic anhydride (LDPE-g-mA) were prepared. The LDPE and LDPE-g-mA were used in equal amounts and as a base material. The starch contents varied between 0 and 30%. The composites so prepared were tested for their thermal and mechanical properties. The results show that the thermal stability and melting temperature of these composites did not change significantly with various combinations of potato starch. The mechanical testing results show that tensile strength of material could be maintained at up to 15% mixing of potato starch in composites, and at up to 5% mixing of potato starch the percentage elongation was intact.