Pa. Dell et Wg. Kohlman, EFFECTS OF WATER-CONTENT ON THE PROPERTIES OF STARCH POLY(ETHYLENE VINYL ALCOHOL) BLENDS, Journal of applied polymer science, 52(3), 1994, pp. 353-363
The physical properties of unmodified starch, poly(ethylene vinyl alco
hol), glycerol, and water mixtures are reported. Thermal and melt-flow
properties of the preprocessed, physically mixed materials were deter
mined along with the tensile properties and morphology of injection-mo
lded microtensile samples. Melt-flow properties were measured by a cap
illary rheometer, and the water content was varied from 4 to 18%. The
morphology, rheology, and tensile properties are all highly related to
the percentage of water present. A transition in the tensile properti
es and morphology of the blends was observed at approximately 11% mois
ture content. (C) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.