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.