Utilization of Starch for production of plastic-like material
The research is based on the production of biodegradable plastic-like material by only using household materials. Also, it can be made at home and it causes no harm to the environment. The biodegradable plastic-like materials made by different ratio of amylose, amylopectin, glycerol and water has different use. The finished product has smooth surface, highly transparency and well flexibility. Also, it can support strong load and be able to be deformed under stress. Ratios of components are tested on: 1. Easy to injection mold 2. Flexibility 3. Tensile strength and ductility & 4. Water resistance. It is found that the ratio of tapioca starch: glycerol: water = 1.5: 0.5: 9 can withstand 13N of force and 1.5: 0.93: 9 with high ductility. To improve water resistance, more amylopectin should be added to amylose. The best water resistance ratio is glutinous rice flour: tapioca starch: glycerol: water = 0.6:0.91:0.5:9 can withstand 16N force, while 0.6:0.91: 0.93:9 and 1.35:0.16: 0.5:9 with high ductility. All materials are available in supermarkets. Higher ratio of tapioca starch can produce bookmark, with laminate effect. More tough, higher ratio of glutinous rice flour can make cups, spoons and dishes.
Carbon Nanostructures Via Dry Fce Exposed to High Temperature
This science project is designed to answer a question of whether or not a chemical reaction is needed to produce industrial quantities of carbon nanostructures by exposing dry ice to a high temperature that is at least 3100°C. A small carbon arc furnace powered by an electric welder is used to produce the high temperature. During control runs, the carbon arc furnace is energized for a predetermined time, after which the carbon arc furnace is de-energized and any carbon particles within the furnace are collected. During carbon nanostructures synthesis runs, dry ice is placed within the carbon arc furnace. The carbon arc furnace is energized and the dry ice is consumed for the predetermined time. Carbon nanostructures synthesized during the synthesis runs are collected once the carbon arc furnace is de-energized and allowed to cool. The volume of the carbon particles collected during the control runs is compared to the volume of the carbon nanostructures produced by the synthesis runs. This science project has discovered that on average at least 16 times more carbon nanostructures are produced during synthesis runs consuming dry ice as opposed to the control runs. Moreover, the synthesis runs did not rely on chemical reactions. Further still, samples of the synthesized carbon nanostructures were imaged using a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The TEM images clearly show high-quality carbon nanostructures that include carbon nanotubes, faceted carbon nanospheres, and the super-material graphene.