Effect of Various Plasticizers in Different Concentrations on Physical, Thermal, Mechanical, and Structural Properties of Wheat Starch-Based Films

• Main Authors: Mohammed A.A.B.A., Hasan Z., Omran A.A.B., Elfaghi A.M., Khattak M.A., Ilyas R.A., Sapuan S.M.
• Other Authors: 57221522906
• Format: Article
• Published: MDPI 2024
• Subjects: biocomposite film; plasticizers; properties improvement; wheat starch; Fructose; Image enhancement; Metabolism; Plasticizers; Reinforced plastics; Solvents; Starch; Tensile strength; Urea; Water absorption; Biocomposite films; Biocomposite materials; High-tensile strength; Low water; Mass loss; Natural materials; Properties improvements; Starch-based; Synthetic plastics; Wheat starch; Glycerol

Biocomposite materials are essential for environmental protection, as they have the ability of substituting synthetic plastic with natural materials. This work investigated how different plasticizers (Glycerol (G), Fructose (F), Sorbitol (S), and Urea (U)) affect the morphological, mechanical, thermal, and physical characteristics of films made of wheat starch at various concentrations (0%, 15%, 25%, and 35%). Plasticizers were added to improve the flexibility and homogeneity of the wheat starch-based bioplastic. Control film exhibited high tensile strength (38.7 MPa) with low elongation (1.9%). However, films plasticized with 35% sorbitol showed the highest elongation, which was 60.7% at break. At 35% of all plasticizers, fructose showed the highest tensile strength, with 7.6 MPa. The addition of different plasticizers shows improvement in water resistance