CARBOHYRATE-BASED POLYMERIC MATERIALS

Described herein are articles including carbohydrate-based polymeric materials, and methods for forming such articles. Such articles may exhibit improved sustainability, biodegradability, increased strength, and/or other various beneficial characteristics. The carbohydrate-based polymeric material may be formed from one or more starches, a plasticizer (e.g., glycerin), and water. The carbohydrate-based polymeric material may exhibit very low crystallinity charactersitics, so as to be substantially amorphous (e.g., having a crystallinity of no more than 20%, no more than 10%, less than 10%, etc.). The carbohydrate-based polymeric materials may be blended with non-biodegradable plastics to render those plastic materials now biodegradable, it may lend increased strength to the film or other article, it may be blended with a sustainable polymeric material (e.g., bioPE or the like) for increased sustainability (e.g., as much as 90% or more), or the like.