Abstract
Potato starch was modified by free radical polymerization with 2-ethyl hexylacrylate (EHA) monomer in presence of sorbitol a surfactant and a comparative study was done taking both the additives i.e., sodium silicate (SS) and montmorillonite (MMT) individually to establish the greater extent of biodegradation as well as application of the nanocomposite in paint technology (exterior coating). This newly developed nanocomposite was found to be a cost effective material for domestic as well as industrial applications. The bonding and formation of the nanocomposites were characterised by FTIR, TGA, XRD and TEM. The application to paint technology was established by drawing thin films and studying the ageing property too. Property like coating, antifungal activity were also studied and the study on biodegradability of the developed nanocomposites (disposal after use) showed that the starch-g-PEHA/MMT was more degradable than starch-g-PEHA/SS exhibiting the durability of the coating for its better commercialization.