Properties of blends from pregelatinized starch with poly (vinyl alcohol) for hygienic-purposed disposable laundry bags

This research was focused on the properties of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) blended with pregelatinized starch (PSt) as a suitable material to make laundry bags for infected clothes application. PVOH and PSt (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt.%) with glycerol 20 phr were melt-blended by twin-screw extruders. The samples were processed into the film by single layer-blown film extrusion. From the results, it was found that PVOH, glycerol, and pregelatinized starch had intermolecular interactions with each other, forming hydrogen bonding interactions between PVOH/pregelatinized starch and glycerol. The glass transition temperature (T g ) of a blend was shifted to a higher temperature by increasing the pregelatinized starch content leading to a reduction in the percent crystallinity. The presence of pregelatinized starch slightly increased the melt flow rate (MFI)/melt volume rate (MVR), apparent viscosity, and viscosity average molecular weight (M v ) of the blends due to the chain entanglement but it decreased the water solubility time and the moisture content. A co-continuous phase with small coalescence was found when 30% pregelatinized starch was added, increasing the elongation at break to 171%. On the other hand, the pregelatinized starch content was 40%, the elongation at break reduced to 154%.