Abstract: Abstract In order to reveal the impact of maleic anhydride-esterification of starch on the properties of starch sizes, a series of maleic anhydrided starch (MAS) with different degree of substitution (DS) were prepared by reacting differeny amount of anhydride with starch. Viscosity of cooked starch pastes, starch film, and adhesion to polyester and cotton fibers were examined. The properties were assessed through the comparison of MAS with acid-thinned starch (ATS) and acetylated starches (AS). The results showed that the maleic anhydride-esterification were able to increase the work to break, tensile strength of starch film and improve desizing performance, and enhance the adhesion of starch to polyester fibers. The MAS was superior to ATS and AS in improving the properties of starch film and the adhesion to polyester fibers under similar DS level. Applicable DS of MAS for sizing polyester warp was 0.036. The MAS could be obtained through adding 25% maleic anhydride into an aqueous dispersion of starch and then reacting the system for I h under pH 7.5-8.5 and 30℃ after an acid-thinning for reducing the viscosity of cooked starch paste.

Key words: maleic starch, size, size film, adhesion, degree of substitution