Unraveling the Potential of Innovative Eco-friendly Thermoplastic Starch/SEBS-g-MA/Graphene Oxide Bionanocomposites

The increasing focus on bionanocomposites as environmentally friendly solutions for sustainable applications forms the crux of this study. This study explores the influence of incorporating 2% graphene oxide (GO) on the mechanical and thermal characteristics of blends containing glycerol plasticized thermoplastic starch (TPS) and polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene-ran-butylene)-block-polystyrene-graft-maleic anhydride (SEBS-g-MA), based matrix films through a solution casting method. Starch is successfully obtained from three varied sources: corn, cassava, and potato, with confirmation via fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The authors formulate and examine varying proportions of TPS/SEBS-g-MA (ranging from 10 to 50 wt.%), focusing on their biodegradability, and find that a 10 wt.% SEBS-g-MA concentration yields optimal degradation rates, thus this is kept constant. The bionanocomposite films are probed using techniques such as FTIR, XRD, mechanical strength testing, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), water absorption, and biodegradability studies. These results indicate that GO incorporation results in a robust hydrogen bonding network within the cassava starch-based bionanocomposite films, enhancing their mechanical strength while decreasing their moisture absorption. Upgraded thermal properties of these films are also evident from the results. Consequently, these materials show promising utility, particularly in the realm of food packaging.