IRRADIATION-MODIFICATION OF STARCH-CONTAINING THERMOPLASTIC BLENDS .2. RHEOLOGICAL STUDIES

This study involves an examination of the changes in the rheological b ehavior (specifically the non-Newtonian viscosity) of blends of variou s starches with a synthetic polymer (poly-ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) a s a result of irradiation-modification. The results are generally cons istent with fact that starch degrades substantially upon irradiation, while the synthetic polymer is relatively unaffected. However, the hig h-amylose starch-containing blends are less sensitive to irradiation t han we would expect; this is attributed to possible interactions betwe en the linear molecules from the high-amylose starch and the synthetic : polymer. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.