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Graft copolymerization of styrene andn-butyl acrylate onto enzymatically degraded starch was carried out via surfactant-free emulsion polymerization. The cassava starch was degraded by α-amylase before copolymerization, which greatly enhanced the starch content in copolymer. A series of latexes with small particle size, narrow size distribution, and high stability were prepared. The effect of starch degradation on graft copolymerization was investigated. High grafting efficiency was obtained. The application test of the latex showed that the surface strength of coated paper was improved, and all the other properties are very close to those of paper coated with conventional styrene-acrylate latex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]