Blending of phthalated starch and surface functionalized rice husk extracted nanosilica with LDPE towards developing an efficient packaging substitute.

Starch was transformed to hydrophobic starch phthalate (contact angle 109°) in order to achieve a good dispersion in LDPE matrix. Nanosilica derived from rice husk after aminopropyltrimethoxysilane functionalization was also incorporated into the blend as property-enhancing filler. The produced crystalline starch phthalate had a lower particle size of 9.87 μm and a higher surface area of 2.87 m2/g compared to starch (40.28 μm, 1.91 m2/g). The potential quality modification of starch phthalate as a substitute for starch towards the production of a perfect biodegradable blend was quantified in terms of mechanical (tensile, tear, stiffness), optical (haze, transmittance), and biodegradation assessments. Interfacial adhesion between LDPE and starch phthalate was well justified by the morphology and enhancement in mechanical properties like tensile and tear strength from 8.87 to 12.67 MPa and 96.57 to 187.10 N/mm for 30% of starch or starch phthalate in LDPE matrix, respectively. Starch phthalate compared to starch blended films showed a higher biodegradation rate of 14.8 and 13.5% in garden soil and vegetable waste respectively in 1 year (at 30% biofiller), with a good first-order kinetics fit of the weight loss data having a higher degradation rate constant at higher content of biofiller in the blend.