New blend of renewable bioplastic based on starch and acetylated xylan with high resistance to oil and water vapor.

Renewable materials of biological origin exhibit attractive properties in relation to traditional plastics, as they can be partially or completely replaced, thereby reducing environmental impacts. Hemicelluloses are a group of polysaccharides that have expanded applications when acetylated. Acetylation can improve the mechanical strength and water vapor barrier properties of xylan-based bioplastics. By partially acetylating xylan in the present study, it was possible to use water as a solvent for the film-forming solution and starch as a second polysaccharide in the formation of bioplastics. Xylan was modified via partial chemical acetylation by varying the reaction time, solvent, and catalyst content. The bioplastics were formed by non-acetylated xylan and acetylated xylan with degrees of substitution (DS) of 0.45 and 0.9, respectively, with starch to form blends using glycerol as a plasticizer. Acetylation with DS 0.45 showed better results in increasing the hydrophilicity of the bioplastic. On the other hand, acetylation influenced the thermal stability of bioplastics, increasing the maximum temperature of the degradation rate from 302 °C to 329 °C and 315 °C, owing to changes in the crystallinity of the polymers. In addition to the modulus of elasticity 2.99 to 290.61 and 274.67 MPa for the non-acetylated bioplastic and the bioplastic with DS of 0.45 and 0.90, respectively. Thus, the films obtained presented suitable physicochemical properties for use in various industrial applications, such as active and intelligent packaging in the food sector.

Propriedades físicas de filmes de quitosana dopados como condutores iônicos / Physical properties of dopped chitosan films as ionic conductors

O desenvolvimento de novos materiais a partir de elementos biodegradáveis com durabilidade considerável, versatilidade apreciável e baixo custo tem grande interesse na aplicação da bio-eletrônica. O presente trabalho objetiva a caracterização das propriedades físicas e químicas das membranas de quitosana obtidas a partir da neutralização da solução policatiônica de quitosana. O trabalho foi dividido em duas etapas: solubilização e neutralização. Na primeira etapa a quitosana foi solubilizada em três concentrações diferentes de ácido acético (1%, 0.8% e 0.5%) para avaliar se a concentração de ácido exerce diferença significativa nas propriedades físico-químicas das membranas de quitosana. Na segunda etapa o policátion de quitosana foi neutralizado com duas bases fortes (NaOH e KOH) em três concentrações molares diferentes (0.5, 1 e 5 molar) pelo método de gotejamento lento da base até atingir o pH de 6.0 no policátion e obter membranas com pH perto da neutralidade. A caracterização das membranas obtidas a partir do policátion de quitosana neutralizado mostrou que as concentrações de ácido acético não mudam de forma significativa as propriedades físico-químicas das membranas. Em contraste, o processo de neutralização afetou as propriedades físico-químicas das membranas, e em particular, diferentes comportamentos foram observados dependendo da base utilizada. Membranas mais dúcteis foram obtidas após neutralização com KOH, exibindo capacidade plastificante pela base usada, enquanto que as membranas neutralizadas com NaOH apresentam um comportamento frágil. Além disso, as membranas neutralizadas com KOH exibem uma maior condução iônica em relação às propriedades elétricas das membranas, o qual pode ser interessante no desenvolvimento de biossensores ou célula combustível.

The development of new materials from biodegradable elements with considerable durability, versatility and low cost is of great interest for applications in bioelectronics. The present work aims the characterization of the chemical and physical properties of chitosan membranes after neutralization of the polycation solution of chitosan. This work was divided into two steps: solubilization and neutralization. In the first step, the chitosan was solubilized with three different concentrations of acetic acid (1%, 0.8% and 0.5%) in order to evaluate whether the acid affects the physical-chemical properties of the chitosan films. In the second step, the polycation of chitosan was neutralized with two different strong bases (NaOH and KOH) using three different molar concentrations (0.5, 1 and 5), by the slow drip method of base until reaching a pH of 6.0 for the polycation and obtaining films with pH close to neutrality. The characterization of the membranes obtained from neutralized chitosan showed that the different concentrations of acetic acid did not affect the physical-chemical properties of the films significantly. In contrast, the neutralization process did affect the physical-chemical properties, and particularly, different behaviors were observed depending on the type of base used for neutralization. More ductile films were obtained after neutralization with KOH, exhibiting plastificant capacity by the used base, whereas the films neutralized with NaOH exhibited a more fragile behavior. Beyond this, regarding the electrical properties, the films with KOH presented a higher ionic conductivity, which could be interesting for developing biosensors or fuel cells.