A novel method to produce sustainable biocomposites based on thermoplastic corn-starch reinforced by polyvinyl alcohol fibers

Adding reinforced fiber or cross-linking agent into thermoplastic starch (TPS) is an effective method to improve its performance. Herein, biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol fiber (PVAF) and sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) were not added into TPS directly; the PVAFs were preliminary treated (pre-soaking) by an SHMP solution, and then mixed with starch and glycerol to prepare 2 wt% PVAF/TPS composites through extrusion and injection molding. This process promoted crosslinking action between PVAFs and starch, and as a consequence enhanced the mechanic and dynamic mechanic behavior. The PVAFs with different immersion times were characterized by SEM, FTIR, and WAXD. The results confirmed that the SHMP coating was formed by a chemical bond connection on the surface of the PVAFs, particularly for the PVAFs soaked for 1.5 h, which produced a corresponding PVAF/TPS composite with a maximum tensile strength of 9.18 MPa and an impact strength of 21.29 kJ m(−2). The corresponding tensile fractured cross-section images were shown by SEM. The DMA curves indicated that the pre-soaked PVAFs effectively improved the energy storage modulus and transition temperature of composites, and the activation energy of the starch macromolecules reached a maximum of 349.9 kJ mol(−1) during the dynamic mechanic process. The contact angle attained a maximum of 66.25°. Compared with TPS, the pre-soaked PVAF-reinforced PVAF/TPS composites had better mechanical properties, good processability through traditional extrusion and injection molding, reduced water wettability, and potential applications for packaging and catering.