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Journal articles
Influence of base sheet properties on barrier coating performance, TAPPI Journal November 2025
ABSTRACT: Paper packaging offers a sustainable alternative to standard plastic-based materials, particularly for food and beverage applications. With reduced fiber treatment options like fluorochemicals, uncoated base stock often provides little-to-no effective barrier against liquid water, oil/grease, or moisture transmission. Despite the lack of natural barrier performance, base sheet properties can significantly influence the efficiency of applied waterbased barrier coatings. In this study, various base stock properties, such as caliper, porosity, roughness, and ash content, are reported to influence the barrier performance of styrene-acrylic and a copolymer of styrene-butadiene/styrene-acrylate based barrier coatings. These findings will help paper and board producers design better, more cost-effective, purposebuilt substrates for barrier applications in the packaging industry.
Journal articles
A laboratory-scale automated vacuum-assisted device for coating of cellulose nanofibrils onto paper, TAPPI Journal November 2025
ABSTRACT: An automated vacuum-assisted coating system was developed to deposit cellulose nanofibril (CNF) layers onto paper substrates, simulating potential industrial geometries while allowing precise control of web speed (10•20 m/min), vacuum time (up to 30 s), and applicator gap (0.5•0.9 mm). Vacuum assistance makes it possible to obtain coat weights over 5 g/m2 in a single pass and increases solids after coating from less than 10% to over 28%• 30%, reducing drying demand by more than 60%. Coat weights were tuned from 6 to over 11 g/m² by varying suspension solids (0.4•0.6 wt%), line speed, and filtration length (20•40 mm), with strong agreement between experimental data and model predictions. Barrier testing showed Kit test values for double folded samples of 9•12 and Gurley air resistances above 4 × 104 s once coat weights exceeded 7 g/m². Comparable performance was achieved with lower fines content CNF (60%) by increasing coat weight, providing technical flexibility and cost advantages for industrial scale-up.
Journal articles
Magazine articles
On increasing wet-web strength with adhesive polymers, TAPPI JOURNAL February 2020
ABSTRACT: Fiber-fiber adhesion, called “bonding” in the old paper physics literature, is a critical component of the overall strength of dry paper. With freshly formed very wet pulp fiber webs, all evidence suggests there are no fiber-fiber crossings with significant adhesive joint strength. With water removal, a point will be reached where fiber-fiber adhesion starts to contribute to the overall wet-web strength.The literature reveals very few examples of polymers that increase fiber-fiber joint strength in freshly formed webs. Here, we summarize the literature and explain why it is so difficult to promote fiber-fiber wet adhesion with polymers. Nevertheless, ongoing research in areas as diverse as tissue engineering scaffolds and biomimetic adhesives gives clues to future developments. Advances in paper machine engineering have lessened the importance of wet-web strength. By contrast, a critical issue in many of the evolving nanocellulose technologies is the strength of objects first formed by aqueous processing, the green strength—the strength of wet bodies before drying. For exam-ple, 3-D printed nanocellulose objects and ultralow density cellulosic aerogels can be destroyed by capillary forces during drying. There is a need for adhesives that strengthen freshly formed, wet lignocellulosic joints.
Journal articles
Magazine articles
Effects of different ammonium lignosulfonate contents on the crystallization, rheological behaviors, and thermal and mechanical properties of ethylene propylene diene monomer/polypropylene/ammonium lignosulfonate composites, TAPPI Journal January 2020
ABSTRACT: Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), made from ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) and polypropylene (PP) based on reactive blending, has an excellent processing performance and characteristics and a wide range of applications. However, there are currently no reports in the literature regarding the usage of TPE in making composite boards. In this paper, EPDM, PP, and ammonium lignosulfonate (AL) were used as the raw materials, polyethylene wax was used as the plasticizer, and a dicumyl peroxide vulcanization system with dynamic vulcanization was used to make a new kind of composite material. This research studied the influences of the AL contents on the crystallization behaviors, rheological properties, thermal properties, and mechanical properties of the composites. The results showed that the AL content had a noticeable impact on the performance of the composite board. Accordingly, this kind of composite material can be used as an elastomer material for the core layer of laminated flooring.
Journal articles
Magazine articles
Three-dimensional pore structure visualization and character
Three-dimensional pore structure visualization and characterization of paper using X-ray computed tomography, TAPPI JOURNAL September 2017
Journal articles
Magazine articles
On the nominal transverse shear strai to characterize the severity of creasing, TAPPI JOURNAL April 2018
On the nominal transverse shear strai to characterize the severity of creasing, TAPPI JOURNAL April 2018
Journal articles
Magazine articles
Slot die coating of nanocellulose on paperboard, TAPPI Journal January 2018
Slot die coating of nanocellulose on paperboard, TAPPI Journal January 2018
Journal articles
Magazine articles
Discrete element method to predict coating failure mechanisms, TAPPI JOURNAL January 2018
Discrete element method to predict coating failure mechanisms, TAPPI JOURNAL January 2018
Journal articles
Magazine articles
Effect of conductivity on paper and board machine performanc
Effect of conductivity on paper and board machine performance— a review and new experiences, TAPPI JOURNAL October 2017
Journal articles
Optimization of optical coverage of board surfaces with assessment of light scattering and absorption using mineral as a coating component, TAPPI Journal June 2026
ABSTRACT: One of the primary functions of mineral inclusion into paper or paperboard is to improve the optical performance of the substrate. A coating may be applied to a sheet in order to cover a dark base, to improve the sheet opacity, to give the correct smoothness and gloss, or to give a suitable surface on which to print. The brightness of a pigment has long been used as a guide for pigment choice in paper and board. However, the measured paper brightness is a function of color and light absorption (K) of the coating and base and the light scattering (S) within the sheet resulting from interfaces with different refractive index. The optical performance can be quantified by measuring the S&K coefficients as described by the Kubelka-Munk model/theory in a filled or coated paper sheet. In coating, this is often assessed as a function of coat weight, and the corresponding physical sheet properties are assessed at the same time; for example, the correct gloss, smoothness, point-to-point uniformity, and printability. The optical performance in the sheet is often not directly related to the pigment brightness, but is largely a function of the particle packing within the sheet and coating layer. In the first and second main sections of this work, respectively, we show how S&K calculations from the Kubelka- Munk equations can be used in coated sheets to determine the optical performance and how this can be used as a predictive tool for the final sheet performance. This is presented for base sheets with different starting brightness. The third section of this work focuses on how mineral combinations in coatings can be used to improve the light scattering and consequently the optical performance of the board. We include theoretical considerations and then finally share a case study for improvement on the optical properties of recycled board.