Mechanical Properties and Water Absorption of Rice Starch-Filled Linear Low Density Polyethylene

Rice starch was incorporated into linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) using a Brabender Plastic-Corder internal mixer at a temperature of 140$\^{C}$ and 40 rpm. The starch loading was varied from 0 to 30% with 5 intervals. Studies on brabender torque development, mechanical properties and water absorption were investigated. The starch loading did not influence the brabender torque significantly. With respect to mechanical properties; the tensile strength and elongation at break decrease with increasing starch loading. The Young's modulus also increases with the starch filling. Mechanical properties were deteriorated as the starch absorbed moisture. The rate of water absorption was dependent on the starch filling in the composites. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis was performed for the tensile fracture surfaces and it revealed the starch agglomeration and a poor dispersion of starch in the LLDPE matrix.