Toward a Better Understanding of Different Dissolution Behavior of Starches in Aqueous Ionic Liquids at Room Temperature

Multifunctional Ti3C2Tx MXene-reinforced thermoplastic starch nanocomposites for sustainable packaging solutions

Starch-derived films exhibit significant potential for packaging applications owing to their low cost, biodegradable characteristics, and natural abundance. Nonetheless, there is a demand to enhance their mechanical properties and moisture resistance to broaden their use. In this study, high performing sorbitol-plasticized starch/Ti3C2Tx MXene nanocomposites, reinforced with ultra-low filler contents, were fabricated for the first time in literature. The MXene nanoplatelets were well-dispersed within the starch matrix while there was a tendency for the fillers to align in-plane, as revealed by polarized Raman spectroscopy. The produced nanocomposite films demonstrate remarkable effectiveness in blocking UV light, offering an additional valuable attribute in food packaging. The Young's modulus and tensile strength of starch films containing 0.75 wt% MXene increased from 439.9 and 11.0 MPa to 764.3 and 20.8 MPa, respectively. The introduction of 1 wt% MXene nanoplatelets reduced the water vapour permeability of starch films from 2.78 × 10-7 to 1.80 × 10-7 g/m h Pa due to the creation of highly tortuous paths for water molecules. Micromechanical theories were also implemented to understand further the reinforcing mechanisms in the biobased nanocomposites. The produced starch nanocomposites not only capitalize on the biodegradable and renewable nature of starch but also harness the unique properties of nanomaterials, paving the way for sustainable and high-performance packaging solutions that align with both consumer and environmental demands.

Preparation and characterization of chemically modified tapioca starch-ionic liquid antibacterial films

The plasticizing and antibacterial effects of ionic liquids (ILs) in the preparation of tapioca starch-IL films were studied for the first time. 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([Emim][OAc]) caused complete disruption of starch crystallites during thermal compression, while some crystallites remained after the plasticization of starch with choline acetate ([Ch][OAc]). Compared to native tapioca starch (NTS), the plasticization of acetylated tapioca starch (ATS) and cross-linked tapioca (CTS) was slightly promoted and inhibited, respectively. Starch-[Emim][OAc] films exhibited higher hydrophobicity and mechanical properties but lower antibacterial activity than starch-[Ch][OAc] films. CTS-[Ch][OAc] films presented higher mechanical strength and antibacterial activity than NTS-[Ch][OAc] and ATS-[Ch][OAc] films. From this study, we conclude that ILs can be used in the preparation of antibacterial starch films to play the roles of plasticization and antibacterial activity. The antibacterial activity of starch films depends on types of ILs and their interactions with starch during film preparation.

Revisiting the Formation of Starch-Monoglyceride-Protein Complexes: Effects of Octenyl Succinic Anhydride Modification

Starch-lipid-protein complexes are attracting increasing attention due to their unique structure and low enzymatic digestibility. However, the mechanisms underlying the formation of these ternary complexes, especially those with monoglycerides as the lipid component, remain unclear. In the present study, potato starch or octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA)-modified potato starch (OSAPS), various monoglycerides (MGs), and beta-lactoglobulin (βLG) were used in model systems to characterize the formation, structure, and in vitro digestibility of the respective ternary complexes. Colorimetry and live/dead staining assays demonstrated that the OSAPS had good biocompatibility. Experimental data and molecular dynamics simulations showed that both unmodified potato starch and OSAPS formed starch-lipid-protein complexes with MGs and βLG. Of the two types of starch, OSA formed a greater amount of the more stable type II V-crystallites in complexes, which had greater resistance to in vitro enzymic digestion. This study demonstrated for the first time that starch can interact with MGs and βLG to form ternary complexes and that OSA esterification of starch promoted the formation of more complexes than unmodified starch.

Study of the Plasticization Effect of 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium Acetate in TPS/PVA Biodegradable Blends Produced by Melt-Mixing

The first step towards the production and marketing of bioplastics based on renewable and sustainable materials is to know their behavior at a semi-industrial scale. For this reason, in this work, the properties of thermoplastic starch (TPS)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films plasticized by a green solvent, as the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([Emim⁺][Ac^-]) ionic liquid, produced by melt-mixing were studied. These blends were prepared with a different content of [Emim⁺][Ac^-] (27.5-42.5 %wt.) as a unique plasticizer. According to the results, this ionic liquid is an excellent plasticizer due to the transformation of the crystalline structure of the starch to an amorphous state, the increase in flexibility, and the drop in T_g, as the [Emim⁺][Ac^-] amount increases. These findings show that the properties of these biomaterials could be modified in the function of [Emim⁺][Ac^-] content in the formulations of TPS, depending on their final use, thus becoming a functional alternative to conventional polymers.

Analysis of starch dissolved in ionic liquid by glass nanopore at single molecular level

In this paper, the glass nanopore technology was proposed to detect a single molecule of starch dissolved in ionic liquid [1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BmimCl)]. Firstly, the influence of BmimCl on nanopore detection is discussed. It is found that a certain amount of strong polar ionic liquids will disturb the charge distribution in nanopores and increase the detection noise. Then, by analysis of the characteristic current signal of the conical nanopore, the motion behaviour of starch near the entrance of the nanopore was studied and analysis the dominant ion of starch in the BmimCl dissolution process. Finally, based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy simply discussed the mechanism of amylose and amylopectin dissolved in BmimCl. These results confirm that branched chain structure would affect the dissolution of polysaccharides in ionic liquids and the contribution of anions to the dissolution of polysaccharides are dominant. It is further proved that the current signal can be used to judge the charge and structure information of the analyte, and the dissolution mechanism can be assist analyzed at the single molecule level.

Temperature of the Core Tube Wall during Coring in Coal Seam: Experiment and Modeling

Temperature is the primary factor affecting the law of coal gas desorption. When the core method is used to measure the coal seam gas content (CSGC), the temperature of the coal core sample (CCS) will increase because the heat generated by the core bit cutting and rubbing the coal is transferred to the CCS through the core tube. To solve the above problems, the temperature of the core tube wall during coring at core depths of 10, 20, and 30 m was measured by a self-designed temperature measuring device. The thermodynamic models of the core bit and the core tube during coring were established. The thermal flux of the system at different stages was inverted numerically by the dichotomy method. The reliability of the model was verified by comparing the numerical simulation results with the field measurement results. The main influencing factors during coring were studied by numerical simulations. The results show that the temperature change of the core tube wall goes through four stages: slowly rising, fast rising, slowly rising, and slowly falling, which correspond to the process of pushing the core tube, drilling the CCS, and the early stage and later stage of withdrawing the core tube, respectively. The maximum temperature of the core tube wall appears in the first 5 min of withdrawing the core tube and increases with the increase of core depth. When the core depth is 30 m, the maximum temperature of the core tube wall reaches 105.17 °C. The temperature of the measuring point at the end of drilling the CCS and the maximum temperature during coring linearly increase with the core depth, friction heat generated while pushing the core tube, and coal strength. This study can provide a basis for further research on the dynamic distribution characteristics of temperature in the CCS during coring, which is of profound significance to calculate the gas loss amount and CSGC.

Octenyl Succinate Modification of Starch Enhances the Formation of Starch-Lipid Complexes

The present study investigated the effect of octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) modification of starch on the formation of starch-lipid complexes. The complexing index (CI) showed that native maize starch (NMS) formed more complexes with monopalmityl glycerol (MPG) than with palmitic acid (PA), whereas dipalmityl glycerol (DPG) was not effective in forming complexes with NMS. After OSA modification, the complexation between OSA-starch and lipids was greatly enhanced, especially for PA and DPG, and the CI values increased from 79.6 to 93.3% for OSA-starch-PA and from 80.3 to 93.2% for OSA-starch-DPG complexes with increasing DS of OSA-starch. Structural analyses showed that OSA-starch-lipid complexes had higher degrees of long- and short-range molecular orders than the corresponding NMS-lipid complexes. This study showed for the first time that DPG can form complexes with OSA-starch, which was attributed to the increased dispersion of DPG in water by the emulsifying ability of OSA-starch. The finding is of great significance for a better understanding of the formation of starch-lipid complexes.

Structural disorganization of cereal, tuber and bean starches in aqueous ionic liquid at room temperature: Role of starch granule surface structure

The structural disorganization of different starches in a 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([Emim][OAc])/water mixture (1:6 mol./mol.) at room temperature (25 °C) was studied. For normal cereal starches, which have pinholes randomly dispersed on the granule surface or only in the outermost annular region (wheat starch), the aqueous ionic liquid (IL) completely destroyed the granule structure within 1-1.5 h. Pea starch (PeS) granules with cracks were destroyed by the aqueous IL within 6 h. High-amylose maize starch (HAMS), as well as potato and purple yam starches (PoS and PYS), which have a dense and thick outer granule layer, were even more resistant to the action of the solvent. Structural disorganization was accompanied by increased viscosity and controlled the binding of water molecules with starch chains. From this study, we concluded that the surface characteristics of starch granule are an important factor affecting starch structural disorganization in an aqueous IL.

Effect of ionic liquid 1-buyl-3-methylimidazolium halide on the structure and tensile property of PBS/corn starch blends

As a promising biodegradable resin, poly (butylene succinate) (PBS) is often blended with starch to reduce the cost. In this paper, 1-buyl-3-methylimidazolium halide pre-plasticized corn starch (CS) was blended with PBS to prepare PBS/corn starch blend material modified by ionic liquid (PBS/CS-IL). Ionic liquid (IL) acted as plasticizer and compatibilizer, and the effects of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium halide with different halogen anion on PBS/Starch blends were explored. The effects of IL on the structure and tensile property of PBS/Starch blends were evaluated by FTIR, SEM, DSC, TGA and XRD, respectively. Test results showed that the addition of IL significantly reduced the crystallinity of PBS/Starch blends, and the size of starch particles in the PBS matrix was also effectively reduced. IL also acted as a compatibilizer of starch and PBS, and induced the morphology of the blends to change from "sea-island" structure to homogeneous phase. The results of the tensile test showed that compared with the PBS/Starch blend without IL, the elongation at break of PBS/CS-IL increased from 22% to 93%. This study provided a simple and feasible method for the preparation of low-cost PBS bio-composite materials, and provided theoretical support for future industrial production.

Molecular Dynamics Mechanism of CH4 Diffusion Inhibition by Low Temperature in Anthracite Microcrystallites

Understanding the adsorption/diffusion characteristics of CH₄ at low temperatures (<273.15 K) is of great significance not only for coal bed methane estimation but also for gas disaster prevention and methane storage in deep coal beds. In this work, the adsorption configurations of anthracite macromolecules were constructed with Materials Studio, and then, the adsorption and diffusion behaviors of CH₄ at 233.15-363.15 K were simulated, respectively, using grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) and molecular dynamics (MD) algorithms. The results show that the absolute adsorption capacities of CH₄ at low temperatures are substantially larger than those at high temperatures, and the adsorption amount further increases with the continued cooling at a given sorption pressure. The isosteric heat of CH₄ adsorption ranges from 8.715 to 11.746 kJ/mol, belonging to a spontaneous physical adsorption. The self-diffusivity D _s of CH₄ at low temperatures is substantially smaller than that at high temperatures and further decreases with cooling. The most probable velocity of CH₄ molecules (v _p) greatly decreases, and the number of gas molecules with a higher energy is significantly reduced by a low temperature, resulting in the diffusion inhibition of CH₄.

Physicochemical properties of raw starches and their impact on electrochemical activity - Biomolecule-based anode material

Starch is a modern and prospective biodegradable material, which could improve lithium-ion batteries by making them safer and thus increasing the energy density and capacity of the cells. The main aim of this study was to research the influence of the physical and chemical properties of different botanical origin starches on their electrochemical properties. The investigation was carried out by examining the colloid stability of starches in water solution at room temperature, and the size of particles, which gave really good stability results. Moreover, the vibrations and the functional groups structure were described by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The surface properties were characterized by determining the specific surface area, pore diameter and volume diameter. The structures of the granules were determined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) measurement. The results of the electrochemical investigations showed good cyclic reversibility and stability. The research was aimed at improving and modifying current lithium-ion cells using biodegradable material as an active anode material, which is connected with the currently well-known "Green Chemistry".