Synthesis and characterization of graphene oxide modified cross-linked starch

Abstract

This study is aimed at evaluating the synthesis and characterization of cross-linked starch modified by graphene oxide. Starch was extracted from maize grains and crosslinked with sodium trimetaphosphate (STMP). Graphene oxide was synthesized from the oxidation of graphite powder using the modified Hummers method. Both the Extracted starch (ES), cross-linked starch (CLS), Graphene oxide (GO), and the synthesized CLS-GO composite were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) Analysis, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The XRD of the composite reveals the nature of the polymer while the DSC results indicate a glass transition temperature of 29.9 0C, the crystallization temperature of 123.43 °C, and melting temperature of 151.60 °C. Also, the surface morphology of CLS-GO determined using SEM reveals a rough and porous material.