Synthesis and characterization of maleic anhydride esterified corn starch by the dry method

Maleic anhydride esterified starch was synthesized by a dry method using corn starch as the material and maleic anhydride as the esterifying agent. The esterified starch (ES) was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which confirmed that there was a successful esterification reaction between the maleic anhydride and corn starch. The effects of reaction temperature and time on the degree of substitution of esterified starch were studied, where the results showed that 80 °C of reaction temperature and 3 h of reaction time were optimal conditions. The result of XPS testing demonstrated that the esterification reaction led to increase of ester bonds in starch. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and laser particle size analyzer results showed that esterification led to roughness on the surface of the starch particle, and the particle size and distribution rate of esterification starch became larger. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis demonstrated that esterification reaction did not change the crystalline type of native starch. The differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) confirmed that destruction of the crystal structure resulted in improved thermoplasticity of the starch, decreased the gelatinization temperature and increased the thermogravimetric rate of esterification starch.