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Submitted to: American Chemical Society Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 5/23/2006 Publication Date: 9/10/2006 Citation: Kim, S. 2006. New technique for the production of biopolymer composites [abstract]. American Chemical Society Abstracts. Paper No. 11. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Conventionally, polymer composites had been manufactured by mixing the component materials in the extruder at high temperature. Agricultural biopolymers are usually mixtures of many types of compounds; when used as raw materials, however, high-temperature process causes unwanted consequences such as decomposition, gas generation, phase separation, etc. This report introduces a new methodology for the production of biodegradable polymer composites that does not require either extrusion or processing at high temperatures. Instead, micrometer-scale raw materials are coated with a protein that has strong adhesive force and compressed to form a rigid material. Since this technique does not require purification of raw materials, broad range of materials can be used as component materials. A prototype of the products from wheat protein, cellulose, and soy protein showed promising mechanical properties. It was also observed that the inclusion of starch as a filler increased the compressive strength of the composites. |
