In order to solve the problems generated by plastic waste, many efforts have been done to obtain an environmental friendly material. Most of the researches are focused on substitution of the petro-based plastics by biodegradable materials with similar properties and low in cost [1–3]. Among the natural polymers, starch has been considered as one of the most promising candi- dates for this regard because of its attractive combination of price, abundance and thermoplastic behavior, in addition to biodegrad- ability. The main disadvantage of biodegradable starch-based films is their hydrophilic character, which leads to low stability when these materials are submitted to different environmental condi- tions [4]. In addition, starch-based materials have poor mechanical properties and particularly poor elongation (around 6%) at ambi- ent conditions. Thus, the incorporation of a plasticizer is required to overcome the brittleness of these materials. Plasticizers reduce intermolecular forces and increase the mobility of polymer chains, decreasing the glass transition temperature (Tg ) and increasing per- meability [5].
Nanotechnology is the control or manipulation of matter at the atomic, molecular, or macromolecular level, in which one of the components affects functional behavior. Development of the polymer–clay nanocomposites is one of the latest revolution- ary steps of the polymer technology. Preparations of blends or