Properties of starch–cellulose fiber films produced by tape casting coupled with infrared radiation

ABSTRACT

Tape casting is a suitable process for large-scale production of biodegradable films. This study presents a comparison of three drying procedures of starch–cellulose films: i) conduction drying, ii) infrared drying (42.3 W m⁻², higher infrared heating power damaged the films), and iii) conduction-infrared drying. All the drying procedures were performed at approximately 60°C. Drying times from the second and third methods were close to 1 h, half the time observed for conduction drying. Films from the second and third methods showed similar hygroscopicity (0.15 g. g⁻¹, RH 43%), tensile strength (31.3 MPa, RH 58%), and glass transition temperature (−12.13°C, RH 43%).

KEYWORDS:

• Cellulose
• coatings
• films
• infrared drying
• starch

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to thank FAPESC-SC for the financial support 418 (Project N°:17467/2009-0) and CNPq and CAPES-Brazil, for the scholarships.