Combination of Starch and Nano-Chitin Whiskers for Surface Treatment of Cellulosic Paper

摘要

Nano-chitin whiskers (NWs) are a group of renewable materials that have attracted wide interest. As surface sizing agents, the relevant research has been mainly concentrated on barrier properties since they are considered to be potential plastic alternatives. Nevertheless, it is likewise important to explore their potential to improve print quality. Herein, different dosages of NWs are added into cassava starch (CS) to explore their influence on the surface sizing and printing process. With the addition of NWs, the rheological behavior and film-forming ability of composite pastes are improved. CS-6 wt% NWs film with a sizing weight of 2.5 g m(-2) can fully cover the pores of the base paper. Compared with CS sized paper with a similar loading weight, contact angle and printing surface strength are increased by 60.0% and 78.6%, respectively. Besides, CS-6 wt% NWs sized paper show less print mottle on the surface than CS sized paper.