Curaua cellulose sheets dip coated with micro and nano carnauba wax emulsions

Abstract

The cellulose sheets used in packaging applications depend on the hydrophilic properties of the cellulose fibers. However, the development of hydrophobic cellulose from new sustainable materials obtained from renewable sources is still poorly reported in the literature. Thus, a green method to obtain hydrophobic curaua cellulose sheets was studied. The sheets were dip coated multiple times to achieve layer-by-layer deposition, in carnauba wax micro and nanoemulsions. In this way, different sizes of carnauba wax particles penetrated the small cellulose pores between entangled fibers, leading to different properties. The nano carnauba emulsion presented the best performance since the sheets showed lower moisture permeability, slightly higher contact angle and stronger cellulose-wax adhesion than the other samples. Besides that, the overall process is cheaper, making it more useful in industrial applications.