Physical and Swelling Properties of Spray‐Dried Powders made from Starch and Poly(vinyl alcohol)

The aim of this study was to investigate whether starch and poly(vinyl alcohol) could be compatible in a powder for coating. Free films of a mixture of the polymers were produced by casting and investigated with respect to their mechanical properties and moisture uptake. The moisture uptake was substantially higher when glycerol was added and the glycerol‐containing films had a lower failure stress under tension than the corresponding glycerol‐free films. At glycerol levels of 20 wt% or above, the glycerol content resulted in a high strain to failure. Dry powders with and without glycerol were made from the starch/poly(vinyl alcohol) solutions by spray drying. The powders were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), to determine the degree of physical ageing or crystallinity. All powders showed a broad peak indicative of the melting of crystals at 100–150°C in the first scan, but this peak disappeared almost completely after rapid cooling. The glycerol‐free powder showed a small endothermic peak at about 45°C, indicating physical ageing of the powders during storage. Suspensions of the powders in a liquid plasticiser (glycerol or poly(ethylene glycol)) showed a sharp increase in storage modulus at a certain temperature, indicating the onset of swelling. The observed swelling meant that some of the powders are good candidates for plastisol coatings.