Estudio térmico de mezclas de poli (vinil alcohol) y almidón de achira por calorimetría diferencial de barrido

In order to find a possible solution to the environmental problems provoked by traditional plastics, the elaboration of a biodegradable thermoplastic material from the blend of polyvinyl alcohol, achira starch, and ethylene glycol has been proposed. This investigation evaluated the influence of ethylene glycol in PVA ratios: starch of 50:50, 60:40, and 70:30. The methodological approach involved a components integration phase by which a homogeneous mixture was obtained followed by a compression molding to get thermoplastic sheets. Thermal studies by Differential Scanning Calorimetry were conducted from these sheets. The results showed that the increase of ethylene glycol in the mixture contributes to the decrease in glass transition temperature. Finally, at this stage of the study, it was not possible to find conclusive trends of the PVA relation - starch relation regarding the thermal behavior of the final material.