Impact of the botanic origin of starch on the physicochemical properties and thermal kinetic behavior of high-density energy starch nitrate biopolymer

This study delved into the influence of starch botanic origin on the ultimate physicochemical properties and energetic attributes of modified starches. To accomplish this, starches extracted from potato (PS), corn (CS), and wheat (WS) underwent chemical modification via nitration, resulting in the creation of high-energy polysaccharides (NPS), (NCS), and (NWS), respectively, which were then subjected to comprehensive characterization. The principal finding of this investigation underscored the substantial impact of starch botanical origin on the properties of the resultant starch nitrate. Notably, the synthesized starch nitrate exhibited promising characteristics, including heightened density and elevated nitrogen content. Moreover, it is observed that both the short and long-term thermal stability of starch nitrate are influenced by the botanical origin of the starch, alongside their mechanical sensitivities, which diminish with higher nitrogen content. Through kinetic degradation analysis of all prepared nitro-starches, it was observed that the Arrhenius parameters decreased as nitrogen content increased. Specifically, starch nitrate derived from corn (NCS), with lower nitrogen content, displayed a higher energy of activation (Ea), while potato-derived starch nitrate (NPS), with the highest nitrogen concentration, exhibited the lowest activation energy value, indicative of its heightened reactivity.