New alternatives to single‐use plastics: Starch and chitosan‐graft‐polydimethylsiloxane‐coated paper for water‐ and oil‐resistant applications

Abstract

An increase in the environmental and health concerns over fluorochemicalbased, wax-based, and extrusion-based paper coatings has led to a growing interest in bio-based, biodegradable, and repulpable alternatives to obtain water-and oil-repellent coatings. Reported herein is a fluorine-free, plastic-free, and costeffective water and grease resistant paper coating approach that utilizes blends of corn-starch (S) and a novel chitosan-graft-polydimethylsiloxane (CP) copolymer. The hydrophobic and oleophobic performance of the S/CP-coated paper was evaluated by varying the ratio of S and CP in the overall blend. The S/CP-coated papers were observed to have low cobb60 values (water absorptivity) of 13 ± 0.9 g m −2 and an excellent kit rating (oil resistance) of 12/12. The S/CP-coated paper substrate surface profile was analyzed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The repulpability of the coated paper is also demonstrated by washing the coating materials from the paper and recovering the pulp.

Degradable Polymeric Waxes for Paper Coating Applications

“…31,32 As part of our continuous efforts to develop sustainable packaging materials, our lab is also actively working on creating coating materials that are recyclable, biodegradable, and effective at providing surfaces that are resistant to oil and water. 33,34 We have demonstrated a strategy in which chitosangraf t-PDMS (chitosan-g-PDMS) is used to fabricate a coating that is resistant to grease and water. 4 However, the limited availability and high cost of chitosan limit its applicability in packaging.…”

Sustainable Packaging with Waterborne Acrylated Epoxidized Soybean Oil

“…27 Additionally, they can be easily peeled from the surface of the paper, thus facilitating repulping/recycling processes. 28 Plant-based oils are emerging as eco-friendly coatings for paper substrates (Figure 2A). 29,30 We have recently used AESO for a simple yet very effective paper coating with outstanding water and oil resistance properties.…”

Waterborne Poly(butylene succinate)-Coated Paper for Sustainable Packaging Applications

“…Recently, our group has reported waterborne coatings made of chitosan, starch, and poly­(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) as first layers, which were subsequently covered by a zein protein top layer that was dispersed from an ethanol solution. − All materials used to produce these coatings were both biobased and biodegradable. We have also reported coatings composed of chitosan- graft -polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) − and chitosan- graft -castor oil copolymers , as well as plant oil-based paper coatings . However, these coatings do not provide paper substrates with the water repellencies that conventional non-biodegradable plastic coatings offer.…”