Improving wood durability against G. Trabeum and C. versicolor using starch based antifungal coating from Dioscorea hispida sp

•A D.hispida starch-based anti-fungal coating to protect wood surface was prepared.•The eco-friendly film composite performed an extension of wood durability.•The green coating is resistant to wood fungal, G. Trabeum sp. and C. versicolor sp. It is a challenge to preserve wood, an organic biocomposite material that widely exploited as renewable resources for indoor or outdoor purposes. Therefore, in this study an innovative approach to protect wood surface using Dioscorea hispida sp. starch, an organic-based anti-fungal coating was proposed. Comparative evaluations such as mechanical properties, thermal, morphological, hydrophobicity and antifungal activities have been carried out to investigate the coating performance. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis was used to confirmed the crosslinking occurred. Results from the thermogravimetric (TG) studies showed that the modified film was able to retain approximately 50% of its original weight compared to the reference. Images from the optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) exhibited that the films have a uniform surface, slightly porous and rough morphology. Antifungal tests against G. Trabeum and C. versicolor showed the PVOH-S film gave effective inhibitory activity against these fungi.