A review on blending of corn starch with natural and synthetic polymers, and inorganic nanoparticles with mathematical modeling

Abstract

Maize or corn is considered as very distinctive plant. Corn having better capability of utilizing sun light, is a noble way of getting a natural polymer known as starch. Amylopectin and amylase composition in the starch firmly affects the properties of the polysaccharide. Despite of application of CS as food for living being including the human and animals it has many other applications in industry. No doubt it has many flaws which can be controlled by adopting different modifications. Nowadays bio-degradable polymers are useful which are produced by corn starch. Starch based plastics and composites are not cheap but produce less waste which ultimately reduces the plastic pollution. Different types of natural and synthetic polymers and nano clay can be blended with starch. Some of these polymers are tailor made for some special purposes. Natural polymers like chitosan, cellulose, gelatin, collagen, zein, alginate, Kappaphycus alvarezii seaweed, various amino acids, and synthetic polymers like polybutylene, polyacrylic acid, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl alcohol, polycaprolactone, and acrylic acid are utilized to modify starch to yield starch base completely bio-decomposable polymers. These biopolymers have the capability to substitute the petroleum based polymers, and can be used for different environmental, industrial and medical applications.

Keywords: Bio-decomposable; Corn starch; Natural polymers.