Current Progress on Biodegradable Materials Based on Plasticized Starch

This paper presents some current progress on biodegradable materials that are based on plasticized starch (PLS). To improve the hydrophobic character of the material for packaging applications, for example, a recent and promising development based on a PLS–biopolyester (e.g. polycaprolactone) blend with plasma-coated SiOx is presented. PLS–biopolyester blends can show, under certain processing conditions, a pseudo-multilayer structure with a polyester skin that allows good adhesion of SiOx deposits. XPS and FTIR-ATR determinations are used to assess the outer surface.