Sharif Digital Repository

Biodegradable thermoplastic films suitable for use in food packaging were produced. These films were mainly based on thermoplastic starch. The major task included research into thermal conversion of starch in a compression molding process and also under high shear conditions in an extruder in the presence of suitable plasticizers. The destruction of crystalline structure resulted in amorphous structure with thermoplastic properties. Films were rather transparent but slightly brown in color and had a specific smell. The films showed sufficient plasticity and acceptable tensile strength and elongation. The effect of plasticizer content on the final properties of the film was investigated. The... 

The present work deals with application of 25-2 fractional factorial design (FFD) to evaluate the operating parameters on starch separation from synthetic starchy wastewater using a hydrophilic polyethersulfone membrane with 0.65 μm pore size in a plate and frame handmade membrane module. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) combined with F-test was also used to recognize non-significant terms. The performance of the filtration process was evaluated by calculating the COD removal percentage (rejection factor) and permeate flux. In this experiment, five input parameters were surveyed, including trans membrane pressure (TMP), flow and temperature of feed, pH and concentration of wastewater. In... 

In this study, poly (vinylidene fluoride) PVDF/Starch nanofibers with a great potential for tissue engineering applications have been investigated. The electrospun nanofibers were formed by the electrospinning of the PVDF/Starch solutions in various ratios of PVDF to Starch. Characterizations of PVDF/Starch nanofiber were performed using rheometric mechanical spectroscopy (RMS), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and tensile test. The results showed that the addition of more Starch into the PVDF solution increased the viscosity of the prepared PVDF/Starch solutions. In addition, the mechanical properties of PVDF enhanced in the presence of Starch due to the higher... 

Monomer grafting, a unique technique for polysaccharide modification, is always performed under inert (e.g., N2) atmosphere. This work is the first report related to evaluating the possibility and efficiency of the grafting of acrylonitrile (AN) onto starch in presence of oxygen. Thus, corn starch (in both granular and gelatinized states) as well as soluble starch were grafted by AN using a ceric-carbohydrate redox initiating system. Graft copolymerizations were performed under nitrogen, air, and oxygen atmospheres at similar conditions. Grafting occurrence was verified using chemical and spectral proofs. The polymerization mechanism and kinetics were investigated by recording the... 

Monomer grafting, a unique technique for polysaccharide modification, is always performed under inert (e.g., N2) atmosphere. This work is the first report related to evaluating the possibility and efficiency of the grafting of acrylonitrile (AN) onto starch in presence of oxygen. Thus, corn starch (in both granular and gelatinized states) as well as soluble starch were grafted by AN using a ceric-carbohydrate redox initiating system. Graft copolymerizations were performed under nitrogen, air, and oxygen atmospheres at similar conditions. Grafting occurrence was verified using chemical and spectral proofs. The polymerization mechanism and kinetics were investigated by recording the... 

Aims: Synthesis of nanocarrier Fe3O4/silica-starch/PNVCL for drug delivery and Fe3O4/GO-starch for antibiotic removal applications Background: In the first part, the new magnetic nanocomposite including Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated with silica, anchored starch nanoparticles, and poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) and then, loaded by acetazolamide. In the second part, magnetic starch nanocomposites were synthesized and modified with graphene oxide. Methods: The drug loading, release and intrinsic cytotoxicity were measured. Also, the potential of Fe3O4/GO-starch as an adsorbent to remove cephalexin antibiotics from aqueous solutions was evaluated. Result: In the first part, the maximum drug adsorption... 

Two series of alkali hydrolyzed starch-g-polyacrylonitrile (H-SPAN) superabsorbents were prepared from granular and gelatinized corn starches. The grafting parameters of SPAN copolymers were determined and the polymers were analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy. A combination of three influencing factors (i.e. thermal pre-treatment of the initial starch, presence or absence of oxygen in the stage of ceric-initiated PAN grafting, and neutralization after alkali treatment) on swelling characteristics of the final hydrogel was evaluated in a practical viewpoint. The superabsorbents were discriminated according to their swelling behavior in water and different aqueous salt solutions. The swelling... 

Storage conditions seem to be important in the long-term stability of nanoparticles (NPs). This work studies the effects of surfactants and storage container on particle size distribution and zeta potential during long-term storage of acid hydrolyzed potato starch NPs. The NPs were prepared from potato starch using acid hydrolysis and high-intensity ultrasonication. During the ultrasonic treatment, the surfactants were added dropwise to the solutions to reduce the size and stabilize the formed NPs. Particle size distribution, zeta potential, and FE-SEM were used to characterize the ensuing NPs. Additionally, a 5-month stability study was performed to evaluate the maintenance of potato starch... 

A novel, magnetic nanocarrier was successfully synthesized through a facile and economical producer in which Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles were coated by starch-g-poly (methyl methacrylate-co-PEG-acrylamide). The surface of nanocarrier was then modified by hydrazine to preparation of a pH-responsive carrier. The resulted nanocarrier was applied for delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) as an effective anti-cancer drug. DOX was reacted with hydrazine linkage on the surface of nanocarrier to form hydrazone bond. Due to the presence of numerous hydrazine groups on the surface of magnetic nanocarrier large amounts of DOX was loaded onto the carrier (327 mg g−1). © 2016 The Korean Society of Industrial... 

In this study, eggshell (ES) particles as an available and low-cost waste material were used for preparing hydrogel composites as dye biosorbents. For this purpose, hydrogel composites were prepared through free-radical graft copolymerization of wheat starch and sodium methacrylate (NaMA) in the presence of different contents of ES particles with various size ranges. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed graft copolymerization of NaMA moieties onto starch backbone besides the combination of ES particles with the starch-g-PNaMA matrix. The gel content values were high (>99%), which showed proper graft efficiency for hydrogel composites. Incorporation of ES particles into hydrogel matrix resulted in... 

Fast-swelling highly porous superabsorbent hydrogels were synthesized through a rapid radical polymerization under normal atmospheric conditions. To synthesize a biopolymer-based superabsorbent hydrogel, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) and sodium acrylate (AANa) were grafted on the starch backbone in an aqueous solution. The graft copolymerization reaction was carried out in the presence of ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator and N, N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a cross-linker in a homogeneous medium. The chemical structure of the hydrogels was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The morphology of the samples was examined by scanning electron... 

The biodegradability rates of two different kinds of polyethylene bonded with corn and potato starch are studied in this paper. While it is usual to use soil as the environment for biodegradation, an aerated sludge tank was used in this studywhich offers a richermicrobialmediumand increases the rate of biodegradation. The biodegradability is determined by two ways: first, comparing differences in the weight change of two samples, one placed inside distilled water and the other placed in aerated sludge tank. Second test for biodegradation is by examination of FTIR spectroscopy. Through FTIR spectroscopy, the biodegradability rate and reduction in some of the existing bonds in polymer before... 

A new magnetic heterogeneous copper catalyst was prepared by immobilization of copper ions onto a cross-linked polymeric nanocomposite composed of starch grafted polyacrylamide and functionalized Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles. The resulting support was loaded with large amounts of copper ions (1.6 mmol g-1). The prepared catalyst is highly active in Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of different azides and alkynes at low catalyst amounts. Various corresponding 1,2,3-triazoles were produced with high yields in mild conditions. The catalyst was easily recovered and reused for ten cycles of reaction and no significant loss of catalytic activity was observed  

Recently, the use of biodegradable polymers became the applicable solution to reduce the environmental concerns, which are created by plastic wastes as well as restrictions of petroleum-based synthetic polymers. By this point of view, polylactic acid (PLA) as a biodegradable and bio-based polymer is resolving both aforementioned issues. While, the high cost of PLA and its slow biodegradation rate make researchers to blend it with a faster one, for instance, thermoplastic starch (TPS). Adding TPS into PLA can influence on the morphological structure, thermal stability, and biodegradability. In this study, the well-tuned co-plasticized TPS via sorbitol/glycerol mixture was melt mixed with PLA...