Preparation of fluorine-free and stable superhydrophobic paper for packaging

Abstract

Wrapping paper has an irreplaceable role in the food industry, but the high hydrophilicity of cellulose-based wrapping paper limits its application. Here, we aim to develop a fluorine-free and stable method for preparing the superhydrophobic cellulose-based paper using KH570-modified-n-TiO₂ and ε-polylysine (ε-PL) to construct a superhydrophobic surface by layer-by-layer self-assembly. The paper modified by (ε-PL/KH570-modified-n-TiO₂)₄ multilayers has superhydrophobic and self-cleaning properties after heat treatment. The water contact angle reaches up to 152.8° and the antibacterial rate is close to 100%. The high barrier properties to water vapor better prolong the shelf life of cherries. Therefore, the (ε-PL/KH570-modified-n-TiO₂)₄ multilayers modified paper can provide a new idea for food preservation. The advantage of the double-layer assembly is that even if the superhydrophobic layer of the wrapper is worn away and lost, the remaining ε-PL is still able to act as a bacterial inhibitor, ensuring that the food is not perishable.

Keywords:

• Superhydrophobicity
• layer-by-layer self-assembly
• nano titanium dioxide
• ε-polylysine
• paper

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Key Research & Development Plan for the ‘13th Five-year Plan of China’ (Grant No.2017YFD0600804) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31470605).