Itchaya Thinnakorn

Ms. Itchaya Thinnakorn

Department of Packaging Technology, Faculty of Agro-Industry, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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19 October 2026 in Polymers
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
AKAraya Kodsangma Araya Kodsangma
Araya Kodsangma Araya Kodsangma
Itchaya ThinnakornItchaya Thinnakorn
Itchaya Thinnakorn
Pornchai RachtanapunPornchai Rachtanapun
Pornchai Rachtanapun
WPWinita Punyodom
Winita Punyodom
PJPensak Jantrawut
Pensak Jantrawut
Kittisak JantanasakulwongKittisak Jantanasakulwong
Kittisak Jantanasakulwong
A thermoplastic starch (TPS) was developed by blending cassava starch in a 70/30% wt/wt ratio. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) 5% wt/wt was added during TPS solution mixing at 80 °C. Sparking technology was applied to deposit nanometal particles onto polymer surfaces. Nanometal oxide particles of Ag, Zn, and Cu were sparked on the surface of TPS and TPS/CMC samples to investigate the effects of the metal type and polymer surface chemistry on the resulting material properties. The surface morphology, element distribution, mechanical properties, color characteristics, wettability, and thermal behavior were evaluated. The tensile strength of TPS/CMC increased from 2.2 MPa to 5.0 MPa with Ag sparking, while the contact angle of TPS/CMC increased from 41.3° to 91.6°, 89.3°, and 95.1° after Ag, Zn, and Cu sparking, respectively. SEM–EDS confirmed the deposition and distribution of the nanometal types on the polymer surfaces. The sparked TPS/CMC samples exhibited higher contact angles than the sparked TPS sample due to the strong interactions between the deposited nanometal particles and –COOH functional groups of CMC. The thermal analysis showed that the deposited metal type influenced the degradation behavior of the TPS and TPS/CMC samples. Sparking technology provided effective surface modification via depositing nanometal particles onto TPS/CMC, resulting in uniform particle distribution and enhanced mechanical and surface wettability properties, with potential applications in the sustainable packaging industry.