Abstract
The surface of a thermomechanical pulp (TMP), containing 26 wt% of lignin, was modified by silanization with trichloromethylsilane (TCMS) via chemical vapor deposition, and thoroughly analyzed for its physicochemical properties by inverse gas chromatography (attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy being used as complementary tools). For a 2-min TCMS-treated TMP, a decrease of the dispersive component of the surface energy from 38 to 14 mJ m−2 (at 40°C), and, at the same time, an increase of the Lewis acidic and Lewis basic characters were found. The surface of this sample, modified in a high extent, was similar to that of a bleached kraft pulp (<0.1 wt% of lignin) subjected to the same silanization process, which is suggested as being due, in both cases, to the formation of a methyl-silica coating on the fiber's surface. The new silanized fibers obtained from cheap TMP can be used for the production of a new generation of biocomposites with a variety of matrices.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher's website at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02773813.2018.1454961