Morphology and properties of soy protein plastics modified with chitin

Abstract A series of bioplastics from isolated soy protein (SPI) and chitin (CH) was prepared with glycerol as a plasticizer by blending and compression molding. Their morphology and properties were investigated by wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamical mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and tensile and water‐absorption tests. The added CH as a filler cannot strongly interact with SPI molecules and, hence, this results in phase separation in blends. However, the rigid nature of the CH molecules enhanced the tensile strength and Young's modulus, but decreased the breaking elongation of the materials. When the CH content was higher than 10 wt %, the water absorption of the blends were obviously lower than that of the sheets without CH, resulting from the formation of a CH framework in the blends. Both soy protein and CH exhibit good biodegradability, biocompatibility, and bioactivity, and their composites may become a promising biomaterial. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 3676–3682, 2003