Photo-active starch-based bioplastics

The present study aimed to obtain bio-derived plastics, by adopting "green" strategies and using ingredients available to everyone (potato starch, vinegar, glycerin, and water). Three types of bioplastics were developed in this research: without dye and loaded with methylene blue or chlorophyllin. Spectral methods (FTIR ATR and fluorescence emission spectroscopy) were used to characterize the obtained bioplastics. The morphological aspects of these materials were analyzed by optical microscopy. The bioplastics loaded with methylene blue/chlorophyllin demonstrated good fluorescence properties that can be exploited in various photonics applications.