Heliyon 5 (2019) e02009

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Heliyon
journal homepage: www.heliyon.com

Characterization and performance analysis of composite bioplastics

synthesized using titanium dioxide nanoparticles with corn starch
Md. Ruhul Amin, Mohammad Asaduzzaman Chowdhury *, Md. Arefin Kowser
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology, Gazipur, 1707, Bangladesh

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Plastic is an amazing material, and wonderful invention, it has changed the world. Plastic is used everywhere and
Materials science every day across the globe. But despite its varied uses, its disposal has threatened the environment. Biodegradable
Materials chemistry plastics can meet these needs and can easily be disposed to the environment. This work focuses on the charac-
Starch
terization and performance analysis of starch bioplastics and composite bioplastic to reduce the plastic pollution
Bioplastic
Composite bioplastic
by its various uses. TGA, DSC, SEM, FTIR, and surface roughness analyses were used to characterize, the me-
Characterization chanical properties, thermal properties and the morphology of the starch bioplastics and composite bioplastic.
Starch bioplastics were fabricated using starch vinegar and glycerol. Composite bioplastics ware fabricated using
starch, vinegar, glycerol and titanium dioxide. The addition of titanium dioxide improved the tensile strength of
the bioplastics from 3.55 to 3.95 MPa and decreased elongation from 88% to 62%. According to Differential
Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) Test, the melting point (Tm) and Glass Transition Temperature (Tg) significantly
affected by the presence of titanium dioxide (TiO2). The degree of nano-composite crystallinity was formed by the
strong interfacial interaction between the titanium dioxide nanoparticles and the amorphous region of the chain.
The decomposition temperature of starch bioplastic was increased by mixing with titanium dioxide nanoparticles.
The results gained from SEM showed that better compatible morphologies in composite bioplastic compared to
starch bioplastic for its fewer voids, holes, and crack. The functional group O–H, C–H, C¼O, and C–O indicate the
formation of starch bioplastics and composite bioplastics has already occurred which was confirmed by FTIR
spectroscopy. The result is also verified with the available results of other researchers. Therefore, composite
bioplastic is a modified elevation of a starch bioplastic with a modified upgrade feature. It can be an alternative to
existing conventional plastic, especially packaging applications.

1. Introduction between the starch polymer chains, which reduces the plastic crystal-
linity [8]. This plasticized starch is more versatile and can be blended
Plastics are used worldwide from drinking cups to various parts of with various polymeric materials for numerous applications. Various
automobiles and motorbikes. They are imperative to the trade market as physical or chemical modifications like derivation, graft copolymeriza-
well as the packaging of materials all over the world. However, they have tion, and blending have been investigated to improve the characteristics
been an environmental concern because of its prolonged rate of degra- of starch bioplastic. The most effective method to increase preference is
dation. Starch is a promising candidate for developing sustainable ma- filler. Cost-effective reinforcements are kenaf [9], Paper pulp [10, 11]
terials are considered which mainly due to its biodegradable properties, pineapple [12], bamboo [13], short abaca [14], flax [15, 16, 17], sisal
low cost and renewability [1, 2, 3, 4]. A lot of research has been done to [18], lyocell [19], jute [20], Cordenka [21], organic renewable resources
develop starch-based polymers to conserve petrochemical resources and [22], and microcrystalline cellulose [23]. Composite materials contain-
reduce environmental impact [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. However, ing nanoparticles and polymers can deliver high-performance innovative
starch-based materials contain some drawbacks, including long term materials, and nanofillers have exceptional interfacial interactions in
stability, aging, and poor mechanical properties [6]. A plasticizer such as polymer and significantly improve polymer properties [24]. All me-
glycerin has been added to improve shelf-life, elasticity, and limitations chanical and thermal properties of the Biopolymer nanocomposites
of the product [7]. In the presence of the plasticizer, space also occupying improved with addition of the bio-fillers to neat polymers [25]. The

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: [email protected] (M.A. Chowdhury).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02009
Received 12 November 2018; Received in revised form 18 February 2019; Accepted 24 June 2019
2405-8440/© 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Md.R. Amin et al. Heliyon 5 (2019) e02009

tensile strength and the Young's modulus increased and the elongation Table 2
decreased with the increase of the electrochemical-mechanical liquid The main FTIR absorption peaks for starch and composite bioplastic.
exfoliation (EMLE) graphene content in the composites [26]. The tita- Functional Group Wave number [Cm1 ]
nium dioxide nanoparticle enhanced the functional properties of potato
Starch Bioplastic Composite Bioplastic
starch film [27]. A lot of studies to increase the performance of
starch-based bioplastics using fillers with several types of starch such as O–H 3277.76 3270.17
C–H 2926.31 2932.52
potato starch [28], wheat starch [29, 30, 31], jackfruit seed starch [32], C¼O 1643.22 1638.66
corn starch [30, 33, 34, 35] and cassava starch [36], have been C–O 1014.48 1019.63
researched. But corn starch based nanocomposite bioplastic using TiO2
nanoparticles have not been investigated so far. So, it would be a new
addition to research. The main objectives of this research were the
Table 3
preparation and characterization of composite bioplastics using titanium The decomposition temperature of starch bioplastic and composite bioplastic.
dioxide nanoparticle with corn starch. The analysis was done to identify
First step 2nd step
the area of application of these materials and to evaluate the potentiality.
This research database can be useful for designing and manufacturing Starch Bioplastic 57–201  C 220–385  C
Composite Bioplastic 50–210  C 240–410  C
biodegradable materials.

2. Materials and methods

Table 4
Glass transition temperature (Tg) and melting temperature (Tm) of starch and
2.1. Materials
composite bioplastic.

Corn starch (20% amylose, 10% moisture, mean particle size 18μm), Starch Bioplastic Composite Bioplastic

glycerol, white vinegar and Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (21nm) ware Melting Temperature (Tm) 297 C 303  C
locally purchased from Dhaka (Dhaka, Bangladesh). All other reagents Glass Transition Temperature (Tg) 57.2  C 66.8  C

were analytical grade. The following amounts of each ingredient are

needed to fabricate the bioplastic (Table 1) (see Tables 2, 3, 4). 3. Analysis

3.1. Characterization of starch bioplastic and composites bioplastics

2.2. Require tools
3.1.1. Thermal properties
1. Hot-plate-magnetic-stirrer 01 Nos. DSC analysis coupled with TGA performed in TA-Instrument SDT650.
2. Beake 02 Nos. The weight of the specimen was in the range of 10–25mg and the tem-
3. Glass tube 01 Nos. perature increased by 5  C per minute starting from 30  C up to 500  C.
4. Weight scale 01 Nos
5. Infrared thermometer gun 01 Nos
6. Aluminum foil 01Roll 3.1.2. SEM analysis
The microstructural analysis of the bioplastics was carried out using a
Scanning Electron Microscope (Hitachi S-4800). Two different samples,
0.5 cm2 in size, of each bioplastic were fractured after immersion in
2.3. Fabrication process liquid nitrogen and randomly broken to investigate the surface of the
samples. Cryo-fractured samples were mounted on aluminum stubs and
To fabricate the starch bioplastic, 50gm of corn starch was added into fixed on the support using double-sided adhesive tape. Finally, samples
a beaker together with 300ml of distilled water. Next, 25gm. glycerol and were gold palladium coated and observed using an accelerating voltage
30 ml of white vinegar were added into the beaker. Then the beaker is of 10 kV and a working distance of 10 mm.
placed on the" Hot-plate-magnetic-stirrer" and the mixture is stirred for 5
min. During heating, stirrer should be turned on. This process occurs 3.1.3. FTIR analysis
quickly, so the mixture must be stirring until thickens. Once the mixture The FTIR measures were carried out on a Perkin Elmer Spectrum One
is completely ready, it will have to be stir several times and then the spectrometer coupled to an Auto Image light microscope. These analyses
mixture should be poured into aluminum foil or dye. Depending on the were performed on samples of starch bioplastic and composites
thickness of the plastic it requires time may be less or more during drying. bioplastics.
Then the plastic will be kept in a cool, dry place. After 10 days, bioplastic
in sheet form was obtained as shown in Fig. 1. Composite bioplastic made 3.1.4. Mechanical properties
in the same process has just been added extra 30gm. titanium dioxide. Tensile tests were performed using the CMT-10 Computer Control
However, the mention is that composite bioplastic is not transparent. Electronic Universal Testing Machine. Tensile strength (TS) and elon-
gation were determined from the stress-strain curves, estimated from
force-distance data obtained for the different and a strain rate of 2 mm/
min at room temperature. All mechanical testing of bioplastics was
conditional according to the standard method of ASTM-D638-14. The
Table 1 sample Width of narrow section was 13mm, length of narrow section
Amount of ingredients for bioplastic making. 57mm, overall length 165mm, thickness 3.5mm and gage length 50mm.
There are three specimens ware tested for each sample.
Starch bioplastic Composite bioplastic

 300 ml distilled water (74%)  300 ml distilled water (69%) 3.1.5. Surface roughness analysis
 25 gm. glycerol (6%)  25 gm. glycerol (5.5%)
Surtronic S128 surface roughness tester is used to analyze the surface
 50 gm. corn starch (12%)  50 gm. corn starch (11.5%)
 30 ml of white vinegar (8%)  30 ml of white vinegar (7%) roughness parameters of starch bioplastic and composite bioplastic.
 30 gm. Titanium dioxide (7%)

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Md.R. Amin et al. Heliyon 5 (2019) e02009

Fig. 1. Fabrication process of bioplastics.

3.1.6. Soil burial biodegradation test stated that the morphology structure of cassava starch-clay nanoparticles
This analysis was carried out according to the methodology reported and plasticizer glycerin bioplastic has not given homogeneous
by M. Maiti et al. [41], with slight modifications. Starch bioplastic and morphology structure. Few voids, edge, holes and poor interfacial
TiO2 composite bioplastic of dimensions 50 mm  30 mm  3 mm were adhesion observed in the morphologies of the surface. Few crack prop-
placed in the soil at a depth of 10cm. The soil was placed in the labo- agations in the composite bio-plastics indicates poor bonding between
ratory, and the moisture of the soil was maintained by sprinkling water at the components.
regular time intervals. The degradation rate of the soil burial test was The starch bioplastic presented a uniform and smoother surface than
calculated from weight loss of the sample over time. The biodegradation starch composite bioplastic. The presence of the remaining part of the
weight loss was determined for seven days interval by using the following starch particle and non-gelatinized TiO2 granules is higher in composite
equation- bioplastic than starch bioplastic. The surface roughness starch bioplastic
increased and the uniformity decreased by the TiO2 nanoparticles. Fewer
Weight loss % ¼ (Mi Mf)/Mi  100 % voids, holes, and crack shows better compatible morphologies in starch
Where Mi is the initial mass and Mf is the final mass of the sample after composite bioplastic compared to starch bioplastic.
drying.
4.2. FTIR analysis
4. Results & discussion
The FTIR spectra of corn starch bioplastic are shown in Fig. 6. In the
spectrum for starch bioplastic, the broadband at 3277.76 cm1 was the
4.1. SEM analysis
OH stretching. A small peak near 1643.22 cm1 was due to the C¼O
stretching and a peak at 1740 cm1 suggested the presence of a carbonyl
Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 show surface microstructure and 3D AFM micro-
group in the film. The peak at 2926.31 cm1 corresponded to the C–H
graphs with RMS roughness of the starch bioplastic. Surface features
stretching. The bands from 704.27 to 1014.48 cm1 corresponded to the
consist of granules (the remaining part of the starch particle), which
C–O bond stretching.
means that the starch was not fully gelatinized during the formation
In the FTIR spectrum of composite bioplastic, the absorption peaks at
process. This outcome is similar to the reports of Hern'andez et al. [37] it
3270.17 cm1 is determined to stretching vibrational band of free –OH
has been described that SEM images depicted contain insoluble remnants
groups. It indicates an increase in the number of hydrogen bonds be-
(i.e. ghosts) from starch granule swelling. Some voids were also visible
tween TiO2 and hydroxyl groups of the plastics components. The other
(black dots are visualized) on the fractured surface that had contributed
probable reason was the electrostatic interactions (O⋯Ti) between –OH
to the low impact and tensile strength.
groups of starch and Ti2þ atoms. The absorption band of the C–H and
The surface microstructure of composites bioplastics was studied with
C–O–H bending are shown at the wavenumbers 2932.52 and 1152.92
SEM and 3D AFM micrographs with RMS roughness (Fig. 4 and Fig. 5).
cm1 respectively, Similarly, Seyed Amir et al. [27] stated that the dif-
Analyses of composite bioplastics surface reveal that the composite bio-
ference in the absorption peak intensity of C–H and C–O–H at the
plastics have an irregular structure, with ridges and grooves. SEM images
wavenumbers 2931 and 1154 cm1, it is confirming the possible elec-
show that the composite bioplastics surfaces exposed to air are rough
trostatic interaction between the starch chains and titanium dioxide.
with some grooves and presence of non-gelatinized TiO2 granules. This
morphology is typical of incompatible blends, resulting in a poor tensile
property. A similar finding was offered by Selene Harunsyah et al. [42]

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Md.R. Amin et al. Heliyon 5 (2019) e02009

Fig. 2. SEM photograph of starch bioplastic (A) Starch bioplastic (160 X), (B) Starch bioplastic (1800 X), (C) Presence of granules (650 X), (D) Presence of void (1600
X), (E)–(F) Presence of crack (6500 X).

4.3. Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) major loss in the weight is 4–70% with titanium dioxide reinforcement
and 2–87% without TiO2 within the range of 30  C–500  C. The
Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of starch bioplastic and composite decomposition temperature of composite bioplastic is higher than starch
bioplastic decomposition graphs is shown in Fig. 7. Starch bioplastic has bioplastic. It can be concluded that starch bioplastic increases the
a 2-step process mechanism of decompositions. In the first step, the decomposition temperature when adding TiO2 nanoparticles as well as
moisture of starch bioplastic is evaporated at 57–201  C. In this stage, the indicates that composite bioplastic has greater heat stability compared to
very light volatile matter compounds (vinegar) are lost, and the thermal starch bioplastic.
decomposition process occurs due to evaporation of the water. The
thermal decomposition of starch bioplastic occurred in the second stage
between 220-385  C. In the graph, the mass of glycerol starts to evapo- 4.4. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) analysis
rate at 220  C and entirely evaporate at 350  C.
TGA of the bioplastic composite shows two-step degradation. The first The thermal properties like melting temperature (Tm) and glass
step is attributed to the evaporation of moisture contained in the starch- transition temperature (Tg) of starch bioplastic and bioplastic composite
based bioplastic composite and the second stage between 240-410  C were studied using DSC as shown in Fig. 8. The maximum melting tem-
indicate thermal decomposition of composite bioplastic TiO2 is fully perature was discovered at 297  C for starch bioplastic and 303  C for
decomposed at 410  C. composite bioplastic. Starch Bio Plastic has semi-crystal structure, and
The decomposition graphs of starch bioplastic and composite bio- the crystallization temperature showed at 216  C. In the DSC thermo-
plastic are shown the 50% of weight loss occurred at 291  C and 303  C, gram of Starch Bioplastic, there are 2 peaks present between 250  C and
respectively for starch bioplastic and composite bioplastics. Nurul et al. 330  C. These peaks have been imposed to melting of crystallized
[28] also mentioned in their study that the T50% (temperature at which amylopectin and co-crystallized amylose. The starch bioplastic and bio-
50% of weight loss occurred) are at 250  C and 310  C, respectively for plastic composite have only one glass transition temperature (Tg) which
yam and potato bioplastics. The overall results of the thermal and obtained from the results of DSC measurements. The composite bio-
physical properties analysis of the bio-plastic can be concluded that the plastic had a Tg of approximately 66.8  C which was higher Tg than starch
bioplastic (57.2  C).

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Md.R. Amin et al. Heliyon 5 (2019) e02009

A B

C D

E F

Fig. 3. 3D AFM micrographs with RMS roughness of starch bioplastic (A) Starch bioplastic (160 X), (B) Starch Bioplastic (1800 X), (C) Presence of granules (650 X),
(D) Presence of void (1600 X), (E)–(F) Presence of crack (6500 X).

The higher the Tg of a polymer, the greater its barrier properties. According to Seyed et al. [27] the melting point of the films has increased
Because of the glass transit temperature (Tg) indicates the consistency dramatically by the presence of titanium dioxide. The reason for this
and miscibility of the components with biopolymer. Identifying only one increase is the result of an increase in the degree of nanocomposite
Tg for all the plastic means that all substances contributing to the struc- crystallinity, which was established by the strong interfacial interaction
ture of the bioplastic have been very well spread and consistent with each between the TiO2 nanoparticles and the amorphous region of the chain.
other. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles were able to form chemical bonds
on hydroxyl group sites of the starch chains. These strong bonds can
4.5. Mechanical properties
obstruct the motion of the polymer chains and the addition of anti-
plasticizers into the starch bioplastic increase the Tg. TiO2 acts as an
Fig. 9 and Table 5 show the mechanical properties of Starch bioplastic
anti-plasticizer, TiO2 significantly shifted Tg of composite bioplastic to
and composite bioplastic. The results of composite bioplastics have
higher temperatures. Similar to Tg, the melting point (Tm) of the com-
greater mechanical strength than starch-bioplastics but less flexibility.
posite bioplastic was significantly affected by the presence of TiO2 and its
The elongation of starch bioplastic is decreased from 88 to 62 when it
values increased when the bioplastic was reinforced with TiO2.
changed at composite bioplastic by TiO2 nanoparticles. The reason for

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Md.R. Amin et al. Heliyon 5 (2019) e02009

A B

C D

E F

G H

I J

K L

Fig. 4. The SEM photograph of composite bioplastic (A) Composite bioplastic (100 X), (B) Composite bioplastic (160 X), (C) Presence of granules (650 X), (D)
Presence of non-gelatinized TiO2 granules (3000 X), (E) Composite bioplastic (1600 X), (F) Presence of edge (900 X), (G)–(I) Presence of crack and grooves, (J)–(L)
Rough surface with some grooves.

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Md.R. Amin et al. Heliyon 5 (2019) e02009

A B

C
D

E F

H
G

I J

K L

Fig. 5. 3D AFM micrographs with RMS roughness of composite bioplastic(A) Composite bioplastic (100 X), (B) Composite bioplastic (160 X), (C) Presence of granules
(650 X), (D) Presence of non-gelatinized TiO2 granules (3000 X), (E) Composite bioplastic (1600 X), (F) Presence of edge (900 X), (G)–(I) Presence of crack and
grooves, (J)–(L) Rough surface with some grooves.

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Md.R. Amin et al. Heliyon 5 (2019) e02009

110
100
90
80

%T
70
60
50
40
30
4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0
Wavenumbers (Cm-1)
Fig. 6. FTIR of starch bioplastic and composite bioplastic.

Composite Bioplastic Starch Bioplastic

100
90
80
70
Weight (%)

60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 100 200 300 400 500
Temperature T(oC)
Fig. 7. TGA curves for starch bioplastic and composite bioplastic.

Starch Bioplastic Composite Bioplastic

2
0
-2
Heat Flow Q (mW)

-4
-6
-8
-10
-12
-14
-16
-18
0 100 200 300 400 500
Temperature T (°C)
Fig. 8. DSC thermograms of starch bioplastic and composite bioplastic.

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Md.R. Amin et al. Heliyon 5 (2019) e02009

this behavior can be anti-plasticization. Similar findings were reported by Table 5

Seyed Amir et al. [27] for the starch bioplastic and composites bioplastics Mechanical properties of starch bioplastic and composite bioplastic.
tensile strength 2.66 MPa and 3.86 MPa and elongation 86.70% and Tensile strength (MPa) Elongation (%)
68.43% respectively. By increasing interactions, reducing the free vol-
Starch Bioplastic 3.55  0.035 88.1
ume between the biopolymer chains with decreasing the flexibility of the Composite Bioplastic 3.95  0.039 62.5
bioplastic, titanium dioxide nanoparticles act as an anti-plasticizer.

their mass is fragmented in water, CO2, and biomass after six months. By
4.6. Surface roughness analysis the results analysis, both plastics were degraded quickly and can be
considered biodegradable materials.
Surtronic S128 surface roughness tester is used to analyze the surface
roughness parameters of starch bioplastic and composite bioplastic.
4.8. Comparative analysis
Fig. 10 Shown the surface roughness starch bioplastic and composite
bioplastic Overall roughness parameters of starch bioplastic (Fig. 10(A))
Table 6 shows the comparative analysis of composite bioplastic with
was estimated to be 0.6 μm (average roughness). The maximum height of
starch bioplastic. The composite bioplastic has better physicochemical
roughness (Rt), maximum peak height (Rp) and maximum valley depth
and thermal properties than starch bioplastic. Table 7 and Table 8 show a
(Rv) of starch bioplastic was found to be 5.50 μm, 1.5 μm, and 2.0 μm,
comparative analysis of starch bioplastics and composite bioplastic with
respectively. Average roughness, Maximum height of roughness (Rt),
relevant research. This analysis indicates that both bioplastics have
maximum valley depth (Rv) and maximum peak height (Rp) of composite
improved their physicochemical and thermal properties.
bioplastic were found to be 1.0 μm, 10 μm, 2.0 μm, and 3.5 μm,
respectively (Fig. 10(B). Romera et al. [38] have studied the surface
5. Conclusions
roughness of cassava starch cellulose blend films and reported that root
means square roughness values of 29–45 nm. The result of surface
In this study, it can be ascertained that starch-based bioplastics and
roughness shown that the roughness of composite bioplastic is higher
composite bioplastic have been successfully characterizied by various
than starch bioplastic this increased rate of roughness may be due to the
analysis. The composite bioplastic is stronger than starch bioplastic with
addition of TiO2.
increased tensile strength and reduced elongation. From FTIR analysis
the absorption band of the C–H and C–O–H at 2932 cm1 and 1152.92
4.7. Soil burial biodegradation test cm1 for the starch bioplastic shifted to lower Wavenumbers at 2926.31
cm1 and 1151.54 cm1, which is confirmed the electrostatic interaction
The degradation rate of the soil burial test was calculated from weight between the starch chains and titanium dioxide. SEM images show that
loss of the sample over time (Fig. 11). A direct way to measure the Composite bioplastics have a better consistent surface in the compared to
biodegradability of polymers is weight loss. The weight loss percentage starch bioplastics for less void, hole and crack. DSC curves revealed that
of starch bioplastic and composite bioplastic are shown in Fig. 12. It is the Melting temperature (Tm) and glass transition temperature (Tg) of
investigated from the figure that percent weight loss of both the samples composite bioplastic showed a tendency to a higher than starch bio-
increases continuously with increasing the number of days. Maximum % plastic, Which can be favorable for the packaging system. TGA indicates
wt. loss 81% and 64% of starch bioplastic and composite bioplastic that the composite bioplastics have higher heat stability than the starch
sample respectively were observed after one month; it's indicating that bioplastics. Soil burial biodegradation test indicates the biodegradability
the samples continuously degrade with increase in the length of time. of starch bioplastic is more than composite bioplastic and also both
Tunma et al. [39] have noticed a similar trend in starch-based films, plastics are highly biodegradable. By adding TiO2 to starch bioplastics, its
including with and without nanoparticles, which decomposed absolutely properties have been improved. The preparation of starch bioplastic and
within 14 days. This result indicates the percentage of weight loss of composites bioplastic with better thermal, mechanical and chemical
starch bioplastic faster than composite bioplastic because microorgan- properties is a significant achievement. These products can be a appro-
isms don't easily attack TiO2 composite bioplastic. The European stan- priate alternative for the existing conventional plastics for its high
dard EN13432 [40] requires that biodegradable plastics have 90% of biodegradable properties with suitable thermal and mechanical

Starch Bioplastic Bioplastic Composite

6

5
Stress (MPa)

0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Strain (%)
Fig. 9. Stress vs. strain curve for starch bioplastic and composite bioplastic.

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Md.R. Amin et al. Heliyon 5 (2019) e02009

Fig. 10. The surface roughness of (A) Starch bioplastic (B) composite bioplastic.

properties. Also starch is a renewable resource, cheap and easy to modify.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles have antimicrobial properties and com-
posite bioplastics can be considered suitable for the food and pharma-
ceutical industry considering the experimental results. It will reduce

Table 6
Comparative analysis of composite bioplastic with starch bioplastic.
Si. Test/Analysis Starch Composite Results Remarks
No. Bioplastic Bioplastic Deviation

01 Thermal 291  C 303  C 12  C Increased

decomposition (4.12%)
(50% of weight
loss)
02 Melting 297  C 303  C 6 C Increased
temperature (Tm) (2.02%)
03 Glass Transition 57.2  C 66.8  C 9.6  C Increased
temperature (Tg) (16.78%)
04 Tensile Strength 3.55  3.95  0.4  Increased
0.035 0.039 MPa 0.004 (11.26 %)
MPa MPa
Fig. 11. Physical Appearance of starch bioplastic and composite bioplastic 05 Elongation (%) 88.1 62.5 - 25.6 Decreased
samples before burial. (29.05 %)
06 Surface 0.6 μm 1 μm 0.4 μm Moderate
Roughness Decreased
(Average)

Fig. 12. Degradation of starch bioplastic and composite bioplastic.

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Md.R. Amin et al. Heliyon 5 (2019) e02009

Table 7
Comparative analysis of starch bioplastics with relative research.
Si. No. Test/Analysis Results Available results Results Deviation Remarks
  
01 Thermal decomposition (50% of weight loss) 291 C 250 C Nurul et al. [28] 41 C Increased (16.4%)
02 Melting temperature (Tm) 297  C 132.3  C Seyed et al. [27]. 164.8  C Increased
03 Glass Transition temperature (Tg) 57.2  C 21.6  C Seyed et al. [27]. 35.6  C Increased
04 Tensile Strength 3.55 MPa 2.66 MPa Seyed et al. [27]. 0.89 MPa Increased (33.45 %)
05 Elongation 88.1 86.7 Seyed et al. [27]. 1.4 Increased (1.6 %)
06 Surface Roughness (Average) 0.6 μm 26 nm Romera et al. [38] Comparative better

Table 8
Comparative analysis of composite bioplastics with relative research.
Si. No. Test/Analysis Results Available results Results Deviation Remarks

01 Thermal decomposition (50% of weight loss) 303  C 310  C Nurul et al. [28] -7  C Decreased (2.25%)
02 Melting temperature (Tm) 303  C 136.6  C Seyed et al. [27]. 166.4  C Increased
03 Glass Transition temperature (Tg) 66.8  C 35.3  C Seyed et al. [27]. 35.6  C Increased
04 Tensile Strength 3.95 MPa 3.56 MPa Seyed et al. [27]. 0.39 MPa Increased (10.95 %)
05 Elongation 62.5 62.79 Seyed et al. [27]. -0.29 Decreased (0.46 %)
06 Surface Roughness (Average) 1 μm 26 nm Romera et al. [38] Comparative better

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