Humidity- and Age-Tolerant Starch-Based Sponge for Loose-Fill Packaging

Loose-fill packaging sponges were extruded from mixtures of 54–62% hydroxypropylated (HP 5%) amylomaize V (50% amylose) and wheat starches, 17–24% synthetic polymer, 13% water, 7% blowing agent(s), and 0.5% nucleating agent. One product made from 28% HP wheat starch, 28% HP amylomaize V starch, 12% ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymer, 8% polystyrene (PS), and 3% polystyrene maleic anhydride (PSMA) copolymer, plus the other raw materials, had a compressibility and resilience that matched those of expanded polystyrene (EPS), although its bulk density was four times higher. The starchy sponge showed 16% shrinkage in volume at 90% relative humidity and was 2% soluble in excess water, both at 25°C. After aging for 18 months near 25°C, the HP starchy sponge gave only a trace of fines in a simulated shipping test, compared to 20% fines from a biodegradable, starch-based, loose-fill sponge of commerce.     

Electrical resistance characteristics of starch foams

The insulative character of expanded polystyrene loose-fill packing material supports the immobile triboelectric charge on its surface, causing static cling. One beneficial property of starch-based loose-fill is its antistatic behavior, which prevents the buildup of electrostatic charges on the foam surface, resulting in no static cling. This investigation explores the electrical resistance characteristics of plasticized starch materials such as commercial loose-fill. Electrical resistance standards used in this study to measure surface resistance and static decay properties are ASTM D 257-78, EOS/ESD S-11, and EIA 541. Following these established testing protocols, the electrical resistance of starch-based and expanded polystyrene loose-fill is quantified. Surface resistivity, measured at 12% RH, of starch-based loose-fill products is less than 1.0×10¹² per square characteristic of inherently static dissipative materials.Names are necessary to report factually on available data; however, the USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the standard of the product, and the use of the name by the USDA implies no approval of the product to the exclusion of others that may be suitable.Presented at the 1995 International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies, Symposium onEnvironmental Polymer Biodegradation, December 17–22, 1995, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.     

Biodegradable corn starch loose- fill. I. The effect of the extrusion temperature on the physical properties of loose-fill

Extrusion with an intermeshing corotating twin-screw extruder with a limited amount of water caused structural changes in corn starch. The structural changes resulted in a transformation-from a semicrystalline to an amorphous state and the development of orientation of molecular chains in the amorphous region during extrusion. These structural changes, in turn, caused an increase in theT _g, tensile strength, and resilience of the extruded corn starch. Our experimental results showed that the tensile properties and resilience of the expanded corn starch extruded at 240‡C were the best: tensile strength, 1.7 kPa; tensile modulus, 40.4 kPa; and resilience, 57.2%. Extrusion produced an expanded corn starch suitable for protective loose-fill.     

Biodegradable Corn Starch Loose-Fill. II. The Effect of Storage at Different Relative Humidities on the Physical Properties of Loose-Fill

The physical properties of corn starch loose-fill were examined at various relative humidities (r.h.). After 48 h of storage at both 25 and 50% r.h., only a slight change in the dimension and physical properties of the corn starch loose-fill was apparent. A wet environment (75% r.h. for 48 h), however, caused significant shrinkage and the loss of physical properties. The tensile properties, particularly tensile modulus, sharply increased, while the resilience gradually decreased with storage time. Amorphous X-ray diffraction patterns of corn starch loose-fills were transformed into crystalline patterns due to aging at 75% r.h. after 48 h. These changes were attributed to the structural relaxation, which was accelerated by moisture gain. The T _g of corn starch loose-fill decreased with increasing the moisture content in expanded starch. Our proposed model based on Avrami equation was able to describe the time-dependent recrystallization of corn starch by modifying the time-dependent tensile modulus. The growth parameter (n) and time constant (k) for the recrystallization process of corn starch loose-fill were about 3.2 and 8.87 × 10^–18 s^–1, respectively. If the growth parameter of 3.2 is considered, spherulitic growth of crystallization occurred in the corn starch loose-fill in the wet environment.