Graft copolymers from starch and synthetic monomers (2008-2010)

Synthetic polymer dispersions require stabilizers to prevent coagulation. This project will deliver the first means to create commercially viable and environmentally benign dispersions, colloidally stabilized by starch that is chemically bound to a synthetic polymer. We will overcome the major problems to achieving this, by applying our novel experimental and theoretical methods for characterizing native and modified starches, our new knowledge of the chemical process needed for starch/synthetic grafts, our recent discoveries about the role of water-soluble polymers in polymerization in dispersed media, and novel types of starch structures from plant varieties suited to arid conditions in Australia.'',