The
waste disposal and air pollution generated by the manufacture
of petrochemical-based plastic films and traditional films call for
developing a green preparation method of hydrophobic nanocomposite
films. In this work, we prepared hydrophobic nanocomposite films based
on nanocrystalline cellulose, guar gum, and alkenyl succinic anhydride
(ASA) without using organic solvent in hydrophobic modification. The
preparation of hydrophobic nanocomposite films was fast, facile, large-scale,
and environmentally-friendly. The chemical structures of nanocomposite
films were characterized by the Fourier-transform infrared spectrum,
X-ray photoelectron spectrum, and solid-state 13C nuclear
magnetic resonance. The effect of ASA on the surface property, water
resistance property, barrier property, mechanical property, and optical
property of nanocomposite films was studied. Using the ink line method
and color laser printing, we compared the printability of hydrophobic
nanocomposite films, commercially available cellophane, and oil-based
films. The water contact angle increased from 72.86° to 101.63°
as the contents of ASA increased from 0 to 800 ppm. Hydrophobic nanocomposite
films showed low gas transmission, high mechanical property, good
optical property, and good printability, which have a promising potential
for packaging application.