Polysaccharides include both structural polysaccharides such as cellulose and chitin, as well as storage polysaccharides (e.g. starch and glycogen). They are not thermoplastic and cannot be processed like a thermoplastic polymer such as polyethylene or polypropylene. There are two approaches to convert polysaccharides into thermoplastic materials, one approach is to maintain the original backbone structures of polysaccharides; the other approach is to convert polysaccharides into polymers having different backbone structures. In this paper, the first approach is used to develop renewable materials from two of the most common polysaccharides: cellulose and starch.<br/><br/>When cellulose is chemically modified into a derivative such as a cellulose ester having sufficient esterification level, the cellulose derivative becomes thermoplastic (i.e. Thermoplastic Cellulose, TPC). Starch can be converted into thermoplastic starch (TPS) through a non-chemical method, i.e. a plasticization process. Thermoplastic starch has the advantages of renewability and low cost; but it has limitations including low tensile strength, low ductility, and high moisture sensitivity. Although thermoplastic cellulose has good tensile strength and low moisture sensitivity, its cost is significantly higher than TPS. The findings in this paper will provide important insights for developing renewable thermoplastic polymer materials from natural polysaccharides.

Renewable thermoplastic materials from polysaccharides

251st National Meeting (2016)

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