Hydrophobic, Sustainable, High-Barrier Regenerated Cellulose Film via a Simple One-Step Silylation Reaction

Abstract

With the increasing importance of environmental protection, high-performance biopolymer films have received considerable attention as effective alternatives to petroleum-based polymer films. In this study, we developed hydrophobic regenerated cellulose (RC) films with good barrier properties through a simple gas–solid reaction via the chemical vapor deposition of alkyltrichlorosilane. RC films were employed to construct a biodegradable, free-standing substrate matrix, and methyltrichlorosilane (MTS) was used as a hydrophobic coating material to control the wettability and improve the barrier properties of the final films. MTS readily coupled with hydroxyl groups on the RC surface through a condensation reaction. We demonstrated that the MTS-modified RC (MTS/RC) films were optically transparent, mechanically strong, and hydrophobic. In particular, the obtained MTS/RC films exhibited a low oxygen transmission rate of 3 cm3/m2 per day and a low water vapor transmission rate of 41 g/m2 per day, which are superior to those of other hydrophobic biopolymer films.

A rigid–soft hybrid paper-based flexible pressure sensor with an ultrawide working range and frequency bandwidth

“…In general, hydrophobic/superhydrophobic surfaces can be constructed by laser processing 26 micro/nanostructures or chemical vapor deposition. 27 However, there is a simpler and more convenient method of spraying ink composed of nanomaterials (like CNTs, CBs, SiO 2 , etc. ) on the target surface.…”