FROM NATURE TO TECHNOLOGY: A COMPUTATIONAL CHEMICAL TRIP INSIDE STARCH

Petroleum derived polymers are based on a wide variety of basic chemical units, providing us with an even wider set of materials designed for countless applications. However, its ubiquitousness has generated environmental problems. Starches (mainly Amylose + Amylopectin), are natural products, non polluting, cheap and renewable, viable for biopolymer design. We analyze, using chemical computational tools, the basic atomistic features that make them such great alternatives to conventional sources.