Cellulose nanofibers for grease and air barrier properties enhancement: A comparison on recycled and food contact paper samples
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The application by spray coating of low amounts (2–4 g/m 2 ) of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) onto three different paper substrates, a recycled one (RC, 130 g/m 2 ) and two food contact samples (FC45, 45 g/m 2 and FC100, 100 g/m 2 ), allowed to investigate the impact of CNF typology and mechanical pre-treatment on the barrier performance against grease and air permeation. Two CNF additives were produced and characterized (TEM, XRD, FT-IR), differing for the production process: TEMPO-mediated oxidation (TOCNF) and enzymatic hydrolysis (ECNF). The crucial role of homogenization cycles to achieve nanoscale dimensions was correlated to the barrier response. TOCNF-based coatings performed better than ECNF ones, reaching a complete grease barrier (kit 12) both for RC and FC100, even at the lower consistencies. The addition of glycerol as plasticizer in formulations allowed to obtain a similar result for FC45, but just in the case of TOCNF-based coatings. A significant decrease of water permeability was also observed when applying TOCNF coating to RC (Cobb 60 value from 138 g/m 2 to 40.3 g/m 2 ) and a complete air barrier was measured at the higher consistency of both CNF as detected by Gurley test. SEM analysis of coated samples disclosed the effect of coatings on porous substrates.
Source: Carbohydrate Polymers
Authors: Arianna De Santis, Gloria Nicastro, Laura Riva, Alessandro Sacchetti, Davide Ghirardello, Carlo Punta
Institution: Politecnico di Milano
Language: English
Subfield: Biomaterials
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $5,340
Award: G7313030107
OpenAlex ID: W4414168455