Acta Chimica Slovaca (ACS) publishes papers on fundamental and applied aspects of chemistry, biochemistry, chemical technology, chemical engineering and process control, biotechnology and food technology. Welcome are also topics which include chemical aspects of materials, physical chemistry and chemical physics, analytical chemistry, macromolecular chemistry and biomedical engineering.

Stabilization of paper by nitrogen plasma assisted application of chitosan at atmospheric pressure

Milan Mikula *, Bystrík Trnovec, Ľudmila Černáková, Štefan Šutý, Viera Jančovičová

Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, 81237 Bratislava, Slovak Republic

E-mail: * milan.mikula@stuba.sk

Abstract: The acidic newsprint paper was covered by chitosan dissolved in water in accordance with nitrogen plasma treatment at atmospheric pressure. Plasma was applied before or after chitosan application. Aging stability of the modified paper was tested by artificial accelerated thermal aging. The mechanical, chemical and structural changes were characterized by mechanical double-bending and tear work, wetting and soaking and absorption FTIR spectroscopy (using 25 reflection ATR techniques). Correlations among aged paper parameters were considered, while the biggest changes were found in mechanical properties and in whiteness and soaking. Stabilization effect within aging is evident as mechanical strengthening, soaking reduction and pH stabilization; however the yellowness is deeper due to chitosan presence. Plasma treatment is more effective in the case of afterwards application at the relative chitosan content of 1% round.

Keywords: Plasma, paper, chitosan, stabilization, strengthening

Full paper in Portable Document Format: acs_0036.pdf

Acta Chimica Slovaca, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2009, pp. 62—69