Fabrication of Food-Safe Water-Resistant Paper Coatings Using a Melamine Primer and Polysiloxane Outer Layer

Abstract

Paper-based materials are highly desirable as packaging materials due to their numerous advantages that include low cost, renewability, and biodegradability. However, their hydrophilicity has limited their range of applications. Reported herein is a facile and economical approach for the preparation of biodegradable water-resistant paper for food-contact applications. Commercial printing paper and cup papers are coated with melamine, which is FDA approved for food-contact applications. Subsequently, a water-repellent outer layer is applied using poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)–isocyanate. A relationship between the PDMS concentration and water contact angles (WCAs) of the obtained coating was studied. Typically, the coated cup paper and printing paper had coating loadings of 1.61 ± 1.10 and 0.93 ± 0.74 wt %, respectively. After the coatings had been applied, the WCAs were very high (>125°), and water absorption had decreased by 70% for printing paper and by 35% for cup paper. Considering the facile fabrication method and the low-cost food-safe raw materials, herein, this approach will have great potential for the large-scale production of materials for use in food- and nonfood contact applications.