Technological watch

A new composite film, composed of biocompatible polyhydroxyethyl acrylate and starch, was prepared. Green sucrose polyaldehyde was used as the cross?linker. The composite film showed excellent mechanical properties with tensile strength and tensile strain of 11.5 MPa and 147.7%, respectively. Moreover, it can be biodegraded in fishbowl water after 35?days.AbstractComposite films composed of biocompatible polymers are used widely in biomedical and food packaging areas. In this work, a new composite film with superior mechanical properties and biodegradability is prepared. The film is composed of biocompatible polyhydroxyethyl acrylate (PHEA) and starch, whose molecular chains are cross?linked using sucrose polyaldehyde (SPA), a green sucrose derivative. The composite film exhibits an optimal tensile strength and tensile strain of 11.5 MPa and 147.7%, respectively, which can be ascribed to the chemical cross?linking and hydrogen bond interactions between PHEA and starch. The tests confirm that the composite film shows satisfactory mechanical properties, hydrophilicity, and biodegradability, and thus should have wide applicability in biomedicine, food packaging, and other fields.