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. 2023 Apr 15;15(8):1901.
doi: 10.3390/polym15081901.

Hydrophobic, Sustainable, High-Barrier Regenerated Cellulose Film via a Simple One-Step Silylation Reaction

Goomin Kwon  1 , Jisoo Park  2 , Kangyun Lee  1 , Youngsang Ko  1 , Youngho Jeon  1 , Suji Lee  1 , Jeonghun Kim  2 , Jungmok You  1
Affiliations

Hydrophobic, Sustainable, High-Barrier Regenerated Cellulose Film via a Simple One-Step Silylation Reaction

Goomin Kwon et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

With the increasing importance of environmental protection, high-performance biopolymer films have received considerable attention as effective alternatives to petroleum-based polymer films. In this study, we developed hydrophobic regenerated cellulose (RC) films with good barrier properties through a simple gas-solid reaction via the chemical vapor deposition of alkyltrichlorosilane. RC films were employed to construct a biodegradable, free-standing substrate matrix, and methyltrichlorosilane (MTS) was used as a hydrophobic coating material to control the wettability and improve the barrier properties of the final films. MTS readily coupled with hydroxyl groups on the RC surface through a condensation reaction. We demonstrated that the MTS-modified RC (MTS/RC) films were optically transparent, mechanically strong, and hydrophobic. In particular, the obtained MTS/RC films exhibited a low oxygen transmission rate of 3 cm3/m2 per day and a low water vapor transmission rate of 41 g/m2 per day, which are superior to those of other hydrophobic biopolymer films.

Keywords: barrier properties; biopolymer film; chemical vapor deposition; organic chlorosilane; regenerated cellulose; surface modification.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Fabrication of the hydrophobic MTS/RC films via CVD. Firstly, the cellulose solution was poured into a glass mold and coagulated into RC films. Next, the dried RC film was placed in a desiccator, and MTS was vapor-deposited on the surface of the RC film for 10, 30, or 60 min. (B) Photographs of the pristine RC film and the MTS/RC-10, MTS/RC-30, and MTS/RC-60 films. Inset scale bar: 2 cm. Thickness of the RC and MTS/RC films: 70 µm.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Top-view FE-SEM images of (A) the pristine RC film and (B–D) the MTS/RC-10, -30, and -60 films as a function of the MTS deposition time (10, 30, and 60 min). EDS elemental mapping images of (E) the pristine RC film, (F) MTS/RC-30, and (G) MTS/RC-60.
Figure 3
Figure 3
FT-IR spectra of the pristine RC film and the MTS/RC films with different MTS deposition times (10, 30, and 60 min).
Figure 4
Figure 4
(A) XPS spectra of pristine RC and MTS/RC-60 film. (B) High-resolution spectrum Si 2p of MTS/RC-60 film. (C,D) High-resolution spectra O 1s and C 1s of pristine RC and MTS/RC-60 films.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(A) Water contact angle values for the pristine RC film and the MTS/RC-10, MTS/RC-30, and MTS/RC-60 films. (B,C) Photographs of (B) the top and (C) the side of a 10 µL rhodamine-B-dyed water drop (10 mg/mL) that was dropped on the surface of the pristine RC film and the RC/MTS films.
Figure 6
Figure 6
(A) Optical transmittance of the pristine RC film and the MTS/RC-10, MTS/RC-30, and MTS/RC-60 films. (B–D) Mechanical properties of the pristine RC film and the MTS/RC films. (B) Stress–strain curve, (C) tensile strength, and (D) Young’s modulus of the pristine RC film and the MTS/RC-10, MTS/RC-30, and MTS/RC-60 films.
Figure 7
Figure 7
(A) OTR values and (B) WVTR values for the filter paper, pristine RC film, and MTS/RC films for various MTS reaction times. (C) Comparison of the OTR and WVTR of the reported food packaging films and MTS/RC films (red stars). (D) OTR and WVTR requirements for different food products and the OTR and WVTR of the MTS/RC films (red stars).
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