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Morphology and properties of soy protein plastics modified with chitin
Author(s) -
Zheng Hua,
Tan Zhan'ao,
Ran Zhan Yuan,
Huang Jin
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.12997
Subject(s) - differential scanning calorimetry , soy protein , materials science , dynamic mechanical analysis , ultimate tensile strength , absorption of water , compression molding , plasticizer , composite material , scanning electron microscope , heat deflection temperature , chemical engineering , bioplastic , glass transition , polymer chemistry , polymer , izod impact strength test , chemistry , mold , biochemistry , physics , engineering , thermodynamics , ecology , biology
A series of bioplastics from isolated soy protein (SPI) and chitin (CH) was prepared with glycerol as a plasticizer by blending and compression molding. Their morphology and properties were investigated by wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamical mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and tensile and water‐absorption tests. The added CH as a filler cannot strongly interact with SPI molecules and, hence, this results in phase separation in blends. However, the rigid nature of the CH molecules enhanced the tensile strength and Young's modulus, but decreased the breaking elongation of the materials. When the CH content was higher than 10 wt %, the water absorption of the blends were obviously lower than that of the sheets without CH, resulting from the formation of a CH framework in the blends. Both soy protein and CH exhibit good biodegradability, biocompatibility, and bioactivity, and their composites may become a promising biomaterial. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 3676–3682, 2003