Porous biodegradable starch-based polymer: Effects of plasticizers on the physical properties

The effect of the plasticizer content (mixture of water and glycerol) on the cellular structure of the considered material and its influence on the resulting properties, such as mechanical stiffness, are investigated by means of optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry and standard mechanical testing. Adding glycerol leads to larger cell walls and smaller pores but it does not significantly affect the elastic tangent modulus and strength under compression for deformations up to 50%; only a tendency to promote elastic recovery is observed.