Effect of wheat straw oxidation on thermoplastic starch composites: Mechanical, thermal, and rheological process behaviors

Abstract

The objective of this work is to evaluate the reinforced effect of wheat straw (WS) after oxidation in thermoplastic corn starch (TPS).The mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation at break) of TPS and oxidized wheat straw (OWS)/TPS composites were evaluated by the tensile measurements. The composites were characterized further using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, and torque measurements. In general, OWS played a key role for enhanced mechanical and thermal properties in composites, and the composites had slightly poorer rheological processing behaviors, compared to the TPS. The highest tensile strength (7.66 MPa) was achieved using WS oxidized with 0.045 mol·L−1 sodium periodate. The damage and erosion produced on WS after oxidation positively affected the properties of the composites. With respect to the findings of this study, it may be stated that OWS can be used as a promising natural filler for other composites.