Starch-based polymeric materials offer a renewable, economical alternative to existingpetroleum based, non-renewable or costly biodegradable polymeric materials. We present thedevelopment and characterization of two phase blends of plasticized starch (PLS) andpolypropylene (PP) compatibilized via an interfacial chemical reaction. Starch is an abundant, naturally occurring polysaccharide that is obtained from variousplant sources. Having three hydroxyl groups per glucose monomer unit, starch is an inherentlymultifunctional polymer. When starch is blended with another polymer, such functionally can beused to reactively compatibilize the two phase system. We first examine the effects ofmultifunctional reactive compatibilization in model immiscible polymer blends and comparethem to compatibilization using diblock copolymers. We study the rheological andmorphological effects of the crosslinked interface and investigate the effects of varying thereactive compatibilizer concentration and the homopolymer loading. We next develop a processing methodology and conduct a systematic characterizationstudy of PLS and PP blends. Based on the result of our model blend study, multifunctionalreactive blending was employed using maleated polypropylene (MAPP). The maleic anhydridefunctional groups are able to react with hydroxyl functional starch, creating a compatibilizedsystem. The addition of layered silicate to the PLS/PP blends was employed to mitigate thedecline in mechanical properties as starch content increased. At sufficiently high plasticized starch loadings, the maleated polypropylene domainsacted as physical crosslinking sites. The processing, blending, compatibilization andcharacterization of plasticized starch resulted in a material with properties apt for severalelastomeric applications, such as rubber feet for electronic devices. The challenges of usingplasticized starch as an elastomer are also discussed. Lastly, we present a comparative life cycle assessment of plasticized starch andpolypropylene. The system boundary of this assessment is defined to be "cradle to gate" inwhich we analyze the system from raw material extraction to the final production of a polymerpellet
