Title: Characterisation and surface chemical modification of starch nanoparticles with lactid through ring opening polymerisation

Authors: Farzaneh Fathi; Abbas Dadkhah; Hassan Namazi

Addresses: Research Laboratory of Dendrimers and Bioopolymers, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, P.O. Box 51666, Iran ' Research Laboratory of Dendrimers and Bioopolymers, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, P.O. Box 51666, Iran ' Research Laboratory of Dendrimers and Nanopolymers, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, P.O. Box 51666, Iran; Research Center for Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Tabriz University of Medical Science, Tabriz, P.O. Box 51666, Iran

Abstract: Waxy corn starch nanoparticles were prepared by an acid treatment process. The obtained starch nanoparticles were modified by ring opening polymerisation of lactide and the structure of the resulted polymers characterised with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Weight fraction of starch nanoparticles and modified starch calculated by elemental analysis experiment. Thermal characteristic of the modified starch nanoparticles was investigated using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. By surface chemical modification of starch nanoparticles, the thermal properties of modified starch nanoparticles have improved and starch nanoparticles showed greater thermal stability. Also wettability tests showed that the surface characters of starch nanoparticles have been changed during modification and modified starch nanoparticles have higher affinity toward organic solvents rather than aqueous media. X-ray diffraction studies showed that the starch crystalline structure has not changed during the reaction.

Keywords: biopolymers; graft; starch nanoparticles; lactide; surface chemical modification; ring opening polymerisation; waxy corn starch; nanotechnology; thermal stability; organic solvents; aqueous media; crystalline structure.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNP.2014.062012

International Journal of Nanoparticles, 2014 Vol.7 No.1, pp.37 - 48

Received: 30 Nov 2012
Accepted: 30 Sep 2013
Published online: 30 Jun 2014 *

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