Characterization of Polylactic Acid Biocomposites Filled with Native Starch Granules from <i>Dioscorea remotiflora</i> Tubers
Yokiushirdhilgilmara Estrada-Girón,
Víctor Vladimir Amílcar Fernández-Escamilla,
Angelina Martín-del-Campo,
Rubén González-Nuñez,
Gonzalo Canché-Escamilla,
Jorge Uribe-Calderón,
Nancy Tepale,
Jacobo Aguilar,
Francisco Javier Moscoso-Sánchez
Affiliations
Yokiushirdhilgilmara Estrada-Girón
Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guadalajara, Blvd. Marcelino García Barragán 1421, Col. Olímpica, Guadalajara 44430, Jalisco, Mexico
Víctor Vladimir Amílcar Fernández-Escamilla
Departamento de Ciencias Tecnológicas, Centro Universitario de la Ciénega, Universidad de Guadalajara, Av. Universidad 1115, Col. Lindavista, Ocotlán 47820, Jalisco, Mexico
Angelina Martín-del-Campo
Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guadalajara, Blvd. Marcelino García Barragán 1421, Col. Olímpica, Guadalajara 44430, Jalisco, Mexico
Rubén González-Nuñez
Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guadalajara, Blvd. Marcelino García Barragán 1421, Col. Olímpica, Guadalajara 44430, Jalisco, Mexico
Gonzalo Canché-Escamilla
Unidad Académica de Materiales, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Calle 43 No. 130, Chuburná de Hidalgo, Mérida 97205, Yucatán, Mexico
Jorge Uribe-Calderón
Unidad Académica de Materiales, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Calle 43 No. 130, Chuburná de Hidalgo, Mérida 97205, Yucatán, Mexico
Nancy Tepale
Facultad de Ingeniería Química, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Av. San Claudio y 18 Sur S/N, Col. San Manuel, Puebla 72570, Puebla, Mexico
Jacobo Aguilar
Departamento de Ciencias Tecnológicas, Centro Universitario de la Ciénega, Universidad de Guadalajara, Av. Universidad 1115, Col. Lindavista, Ocotlán 47820, Jalisco, Mexico
Francisco Javier Moscoso-Sánchez
Departamento de Química, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guadalajara, Blvd. Marcelino García Barragán 1421, Col. Olímpica, Guadalajara 44430, Jalisco, Mexico
Biocomposites were fabricated utilizing polylactic acid (PLA) combined with native starch sourced from mountain’s yam (Dioscorea remotiflora Knuth), an underexplored tuber variety. Different starch compositions (7.5, 15.0, 22.5, and 30.0 wt.%) were blended with PLA in a batch mixer at 160 °C to produce PLA/starch biocomposites. The biocomposites were characterized by analyzing their morphology, particle size distribution, thermal, X-ray diffraction (XDR), mechanical, and dynamic mechanical (DMA) properties, water absorption behavior, and color. The results showed that the amylose content of Dioscorea remotiflora starch was 48.43 ± 1.4%, which corresponds to a high-amylose starch (>30% of amylose). Particle size analysis showed large z-average particle diameters (Dz0) of the starch granules (30.59 ± 3.44 μm). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed oval-shaped granules evenly distributed throughout the structure of the biocomposite, without observable agglomeration or damage to its structure. XDR and DMA analyses revealed an increase in the crystallinity of the biocomposites as the proportion of the starch increased. The tensile modulus (E) underwent a reduction, whereas the flexural modulus (Eflex) increased with the amount of starch incorporated. The biocomposites with the highest Eflex were those with a starch content of 22.5 wt.%, which increased by 8.7% compared to the neat PLA. The water absorption of the biocomposites demonstrated a higher uptake capacity as the starch content increased. The rate of water absorption in the biocomposites followed the principles of Fick’s Law. The novelty of this work lies in its offering an alternative for the use of high-amylose mountain’s yam starch to produce low-cost bioplastics for different applications.
