Royal Society of Chemistry, Journal of Materials Chemistry, 21(20), p. 4321
DOI: 10.1039/c0jm00367k
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Polysaccharidebiopolymers from renewable resources are of great interest as replacements for petroleum-based polymers since they have lower cradle-to-grave non-renewable energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Starch is widely used as a packaging material but is based on food resources such as potato or corn, and suffers from high sensitivity to water vapor even under ambient conditions. For the first time, xyloglucan (XG) from tamarind seed waste is explored as an alternative high-performance biopolymer from non-food feedstock. XG is purified, and dissolved in water to cast films. Moisture sorption isotherms, tensile tests and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis are performed. Glycerol plasticization toughening and enzymatic modification (partial removal of galactose in side chains of XG) are attempted as means of modification. XG films show much lower moisture sorption than the amylose component in starches. Stiffness and strength are very high, with considerable ductility and toughness. The thermal stability is exceptionally high and is approaching 250 °C. Glycerol plasticization is effective already at 10% glycerol. These observations point towards the potential of XG as a “new” biopolymer from renewable non-food plant resources for replacement of petroleum-based polymers.