Nitrogen plasma surface treatment for improving polar ink adhesion on micro/nanofibrillated cellulose films

Katarina Dimic-Misic,Saša Lazović,Leena-Sisko Johansson,Patrick Gane,Thad Maloney,Dimitrije Stepanenko,Stevan Jovanović,Mirjana Kostić,Marija Mitrović-Dankulov,Bratislav Obradović,Ana Kramar

doi:10.1007/s10570-019-02269-4

Katarina Dimic-Misic, Saša Lazović + Show 9 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-019-02269-4

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Abstract

We find that nitrogen plasma treatment of micro/nanofibrillated cellulose films increases wettability of the surface by both liquid polar water and nonpolar hexadecane. The increased wetting effect is more pronounced in the case of polar liquid, favouring the use of plasma treated micro/nanofibrillated cellulose films as substrates for a range of inkjet printing including organic-based polar-solvent inks. The films were formed from aqueous suspensions of progressively enzymatic pretreated wood-free cellulose fibres, resulting in increased removal of amorphous species producing novel nanocellulose surfaces displaying increasing crystallinity. The mechanical properties of each film are shown to be highly dependent on the enzymatic pretreatment time. The change in surface chemistry arising from exposure to nitrogen plasma is revealed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. That both polar and dispersive surface energy components become increased, as measured by contact angle, is also linked to an increase in surface roughness. The change in surface free energy is exemplified to favour the trapping of photovoltaic inks.

Highlights

Introduction and backgroundSustainability is one of the key targets for industrial practice today
It is clear to see that with increase in enzymatic hydrolysis time, dewatering decreases as fibrils become thinner and smaller, and suspensions become more gel-like rheologically (Rantanen et al 2015)
The mechanical and optical properties of micro/nanofibrillated cellulose (MNFC) films are presented in Table 3, where it is evident that the sheet density of the films increases with increase in hydrolysis time, while the packing density of the smaller crystalline particles increases

Summary

Introduction

Introduction and backgroundSustainability is one of the key targets for industrial practice today. The surface properties of MNFC films, such as wettability by liquid, topography, chemistry, surface charge, the presence of hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains, density and conformation of functional groups, all play a crucial role in printability and barrier properties. Their ability to support controlled migration of solvent ink vehicle and chromatographic differentiation of ink components is important in the printing of inkjet printable (IP) inks, and especially for production of bio-based printed functionality in a wide range of applications, such as printed electronics and printed diagnostics (Hoeng et al 2016; Jutila et al 2018)

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