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Two different extrusion-coating qualities of polyethylene, namely LDPE and HDPE, were coated on high-density papers. Differences were observed with respect to their response to storage and low temperature heat treatment. HDPE does not respond to storage at ambient temperature and heat treatment in the same way as LDPE. The LDPE-coating exhibits an increase in the monoclinic crystalline fraction at the paper surface as a result of heat treatment. The nature of this response appears to be a result of adhesion to a paper surface, the properties of this surface, orientation of polymer chains, and chain mobility differences. The increase of the monoclinic fraction is shown to relate to an increase of the mean crystallite thickness and initiation of new crystallites at the paper surface. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 235–241, 2004

In the present work the morphology of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) extrusion coating layer on high-density paper (HDP) has been investigated. An uneven layer with a high content of crystallinity against the paper surface was discovered. The methods applied were solid-state 13C NMR Spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy. The highly crystalline layer was found to be mainly monoclinic crystallinity. The formation of the monoclinic crystallites was probably initiated by orientation of the polyethylene molecules by drawing, adhesion to the fibrous paper surface, and pressure. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 218–225, 2004

The low-density polyethylene (PE)/waste paper composites with different components ratio were prepared by extrusion. The photochemical stability of these samples and crystallinity degree of PE in blends were studied using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The thermal properties of composites were estimated by thermogravimetric analysis. Moreover, the morphological changes were observed by SEM. It was found that after long-term exposure to UV (100 h) composites undergo more efficient photo-oxidative degradation when compared with pure PE. Also the thermal stability of composites obtained is lower than that in PE. The results indicate that such a material is characterized by high susceptibility to environmental decomposition. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2197–2206, 2007

Functional copolymer-modified cellulase was applied to newspaper reprocessing. The new copolymers, composed of polyalkylene oxide (PAO) and maleic acid anhydride (MA), were synthesized to modify the cellulase. MA was attached to PAO allyl ester, formed by the reaction between PAO allyl alcohol and lauric acid. The modification is produced by the ability of MA to react with the amino acid group of the cellulase for modification. At the maximum degree of modification of 52%, modified cellulase showed more than 65% activity over the unmodified native cellulase. When modified cellulase was applied to the waste paper reprocessing, it was found that the cellulase enhanced the detachment of ink particles from paper. PAO was found to also cause the removal of the detached ink particles by floatation. This process creates a more moderate environment than conventional methods, improves the physical properties of the paper such as freeness and whiteness in comparison to conventional NaOH methods, while maintaining the same ink particle removal ability. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 894–899, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10088

Glyoxal and glutaraldehyde behave very differently for improving wet strength of paper. It is found that glyoxal is very efficient for improving temporary wet strength of paper without the presence of a catalyst and exposure to elevated temperatures. When a metal salt, such as Zn(NO3)2, is used as a catalyst and the curing temperature is increased, the durable wet strength of glyoxal-treated paper increases at the expense of its flexibility, as shown by reduced stretch and folding endurance. Glutaraldehyde is not able to provide any improvement in wet strength to paper, even under high curing temperatures, provided no catalyst is used. With the aid of a metal salt catalyst, glutaraldehyde imparts excellent durable wet strength to paper without significantly sacrificing folding endurance, and the wet strength of glutaraldehyde-treated paper increases steadily as curing temperature increases. The different behavior of glyoxal and glutaraldehyde may be attributed to their different reactivity toward cellulose. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 2539–2547, 2002

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) are isolated from office waste paper using an alkali solution and a subsequent acid hydrolysis process. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results demonstrate that ink and fillers used in the papermaking industry are almost totally removed after alkali treatments. The XRD results show that CNCs obtained after 2 wt % NaOH solution treatment and a subsequent hydrolysis process exhibit only a cellulose I crystalline structure, and the crystallinity index value increases around 42% with respect to initial office waste paper. Nevertheless, CNCs obtained after 7.5 wt % NaOH solution treatment and a subsequent acid hydrolysis process show a mixture of cellulose I and cellulose II polymorphs. The thermal analysis shows that the CNCs obtained after 7.5 wt % NaOH solution treatment and a subsequent acid hydrolysis process are thermally less stable than other samples, suggesting that the cellulose chains could depolymerize into low molecular weight sugar compounds. Even though the atomic force microscopy images confirm the presence of CNCs, the optical images show that some cellulose microfibers still maintain their structure. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45257.

Chopped aramid fiber was modified by an argon low-temperature plasma treatment to enhance the interfacial strength of aramid paper. The water contact angle of the aramid fiber and the tensile strength, tearing strength, and evenness of the aramid sheets were investigated under different conditions, and the parameters of the argon low-temperature plasma modification, like gas pressure, discharge power, and discharge time, were optimized. The chemical structure and surface morphology of the fiber after plasma modification were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The strengthening mechanism of aramid paper by low-temperature plasma modification was also studied. It was found that the argon low-temperature plasma treatment introduced some new polar groups onto the fiber surface and increased the fiber surface wettability and roughness. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2017

The paper industry is closely related to our daily life. Vast quantities of paper requirement worldwide lead to astonishing lumber consumption and environmental pollution. So the exploration of alternative paper-like material should be of great importance. Here, we reported the preparation of a kind of environmentally friendly clay-based polymer composite paper-like film by incorporation of a kind of nanometer sized natural clay crystals, in this case attapulgite (ATP), into degradable poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) only though a simple blending and subsequently casting method. X-ray analysis shows that no changes in the crystalline structure of ATP were observed in the PVA matrix. Even with a high content of clay crystals in composites (50 wt %), the resulting ATP-PVA composite films (named as APCF) show excellent flexibility and tensile strength up to 22.19 MPa. The doping of ATP also results in flame retardant of composites, making it ideal candidate for packing and also building decoration applications. Interestingly, the APCF are printable and also much tough and tensile. Due to the simple fabrication, nearly no pollution emission process and easily to be scaled up, the APCF have great potentials as a kind of alternative for paper materials for diverse applications. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45128.

Sulfonated aramid (SA) fiber modified graphene nanoplatelet (GnP) paper was fabricated employing simple vacuum filtration technique. The SA macromolecules were noncovalently attached on the surface of GnP through π−π interactions. Robustness of the film was characterized via dynamic mechanical analysis study. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was employed to investigate the extent of surface functionalization. The specific capacitance of 166 F/g was obtained for the sulfonated graphene nanoplatelet composite paper with 97% of specific capacitance retained after 1000 cycles establishing the cyclic stability of the said composite paper. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45099.

Emulsion paper–plastic nanometer laminating adhesive of 1.5% organic montmorillonite (OMMT) was prepared by OMMT intercalating polyacrylate-system materials. In this article, it was discovered that nanometer-laminating adhesive has better adhesion, smaller latex particles size, lower surface tension, and higher drying speed than general laminating adhesive. The rheologic behavior of the emulsion was discussed and it was shown that the value of n (the flow index of emulsion) was reduced and viscous flow activation energy (Ea) was increased. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 97: 872–877, 2005

Polyamideamine-epichlorohydrin (PAE) resin is a crosslinked heteropolymer having cationic charges, and has been widely used as a wet strength agent of paper in the papermaking process. In this study, more accurate molecular mass values of PAE were determined by size exclusion chromatography attached with a multi angle laser light scattering detector (SEC-MALS). The obtained weight average molecular mass (Mw) values of commercial and laboratory-made PAE samples were 1,140,000 and 494,000, respectively, and these values were much higher than those reported so far. SEC-MALS analysis also revealed that PAE molecules had highly crosslinked structures and extremely wide molecular mass distributions. Molecular mass values and content of 3-hydroxy-azetidinium (AZR) groups in PAE and PAE intermediates during the course of PAE synthesis were also determined by the SEC-MALS and 1H NMR methods, and the relationships between these values and the wet strength development of handsheets prepared with these PAE samples were studied. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 97: 2249–2255, 2005

Epoxidized soybean oil-based paper composites (ESOPCs) were prepared by fabricating poly epoxidized soybean oil (PESO) with paper. With boron trifluride diethyl etherate as catalyst, epoxidized soybean oil was in situ polymerized on the surface of the paper and within the interspaces of the paper cellulose fibers. Fourier transform infrared analysis confirmed the polymerization of epoxidized soybean oil. Scanning electron microscopic analysis showed that ESOPCs had nanostructured wrinkle morphology on the surfaces and the PESO combined tightly with the paper cellulose fibers. The tensile strength of ESOPCs was 17.3–24.8 MPa, which was higher than that of most vegetable oil-based neat polymers. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that ESOPCs were thermally stable up to 360°C in a nitrogen atmosphere. Water vapor permeability (WVP) tests revealed that the WVP of ESOPCs was 3.52–4.45 × 10−12 g/m/s/Pa, significantly lower than many of other biobased polymeric materials, which would promote the application of vegetable-based polymers as potential water-resistant materials. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41575.

The production of traditional cellulose paper not only consumes lots of timber, but also brings about some environmental issues. Therefore, it is being increasingly replaced by synthetic paper. In this study, ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)/SiO2 synthetic paper with high application performance was prepared by the thermally induced phase separation method using mineral oil as diluent. The corresponding properties of synthetic paper, including surface morphology, overall porosity, tensile strength, thermal stability, acid and alkali resistance, whiteness, and inkjet print effect were investigated respectively. The results show that the overall porosity of UHMWPE/SiO2 synthetic paper is above 45%, and the tensile strength exceeds 4.3 MPa. UHMWPE/SiO2 synthetic paper also presents light weight, as well as good resistance to heat, acid and alkali. Meanwhile, the average whiteness of the samples is up to 91.8%. The sample K-50, which contains 31.5 wt % SiO2, takes on the best print performance caused by its dense surface and higher SiO2 content. It is indicated that UHMWPE/SiO2 synthetic paper has good market prospects in the color printing. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41529.

Liquefaction of waste paper (WP) was performed in the presence of phenol with an acid catalyst. Newspaper (NP) was liquefied more easily than box paper (BP) or business paper (BNP). Differences in the degree of liquefaction were due to different chemical compositions. That is, NP had a relatively high lignin content, which is known to be easily liquefied, whereas BP and BNP were mainly composed of cellulose with a crystalline structure, which is difficult to liquefy. The acid concentration and phenol/WP ratio were more important factors in the regulation of liquefaction than reaction temperature. The changes in the apparent molecular weight depending on the reaction time were more significant for phenolated NP, with high lignin content, than for phenolated BP. The obtained phenolated products showed thermal flow properties and reactivity as good as those of phenolated wood and commercial Novolak resin. Thermosetting moldings were obtained from phenolated products, and their flexural properties and thermal stability were comparable to those of phenolated wood and commercial Novolak resin. Flexural properties were further improved by the cocondensation reaction between the unreacted phenol of phenolated products and formaldehyde. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 1473–1481, 2002

A copolymer of glycidyl methacrylate and styrene (PGS) was synthesized by emulsion polymerization. The effect of the polymer on paper dry- and wet-strength improvement was investigated. The polymer contains phenyl groups that provide hydrophobic character to fibers so as to improve paper wet performance, and glycidyl groups that react with nucleophilic groups in fibers and other polymers to increase paper strength. Results showed that other polymers, such as polyallylamine, polyacrylic acid, and modified polyacrylamide, could be used together with PGS for paper-strength improvement. Furthermore, three kinds of partially carboxymethylated pulps (CMP) were prepared and used for PGS treatment. Compared with original pulp sheet, the sheets containing CMPs were strengthened greatly both in dry and in wet strength after PGS treatment. It was confirmed that higher CMP content got higher strength improvement at the same addition level of PGS. The results showed that carboxyl groups in pulp participate in the reaction with PGS and the cocrosslinkings between fibers and polymers were formed for improving paper strength. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 80: 334–339, 2001

Polymer waste recycling is a major technical problem, because large amounts of synthetic polymers are produced every day and polymeric wastes are gathered from municipal solid wastes. There are a few polyolefins, such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) with huge amounts of paper in the waste materials. In order to recycle the commingled plastics waste that contains paper, hydrolytic treatment is needed prior to conventional processing. In this project, the optimum conditions of hydrolytic treatment of paper and the mechanical properties and morphological state of different compositions of PP high-density PE (HDPE) blends with paper were studied. Ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer (EPDM) was added to improve the mechanical properties of blends. The results show that the hydrolytic treatment of paper improves the mechanical properties, such as the tensile strength and modulus of the PP/HDPE/paper composites relative to the untreated samples, and up to 30% paper can be added to commingled PP and HDPE blends. The EPDM was used as an impact modifier. The plastics waste containing paper can be used in applications such as artificial wood. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 80: 2573–2577, 2001

The copolymer (PGS) synthesized by polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate with styrene had a significant effect on paper wet strength. Factors such as retention aids, curing temperature, and curing time were investigated. The results showed that among four kinds of partially aminated poly N-vinylformamide (APNVF), APNVF-4 that had the highest charge density was the most effective for strengthening paper. The effectiveness of the retention systems increased with their wet functionality in the order APNVF-4 > C-PAM ≈ PAAm > PEI > PDADMAC. The curing temperature and curing time had little influence on paper dry strength, but they influenced paper wet strength greatly. The FTIR studies on model reactions showed that glycidyl groups could react with amino groups and carboxyl groups under common curing conditions. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 2791–2797, 2001

Dynamic differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) using paper samples of different compositions has evidenced varying degrees of endothermic activity prior to the exothermic, oxidative decomposition of cellulose under static air. Whereas cotton cellulose papers displayed a significant endothermic activity, wood-pulp papers showed a much less pronounced effect or no activity at all. DSC measurements using microcrystalline cellulose submitted to different extents of milling indicated that the observed endotherm is related to the degree of crystallinity of cellulose. Crystallinity decrease is accompanied by a decrease in the area of the endothermic peak. Thermal disruption of cellulose crystalline domains is therefore believed to be the reason for the appearance of an endotherm in the thermograms of paper. The higher degree of crystallinity of cotton cellulose in comparison to wood-pulp cellulose accounts for the more pronounced endothermic activity observed for cotton papers. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 78: 61–66, 2000

The presented studies are focused on the dependence of paper sheet strength properties such as tear resistance, burst, and extensibility on the composition of additive [chitosan blends with poly(vinyl alcohol) and gelated starch]. Chitosan acetate (cationic) and its blends caused an improvement of the strength properties of paper sheets by the substantial modification of cellulose (anionic) fibers, probably through the presence of strong ionic interactions. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 3210–3215, 2000

Partially aminated poly-N-vinylformamides (APNVF) were prepared by the hydrolysis of PNVF and used as the retention aid of rosin size. The dual retention aids system, consisting of this modern polymer and aluminum sulfate (alum) for neutral-alkaline paper sizing using acid rosin sizes, was evaluated by experiment. The results indicated that APNVF was very effective and a small amount of the polymer used together with alum considerably increased the size retention and sizing degree of paper under neutral-alkaline conditions. The cationic charge density of APNVF significantly influenced the sizing efficiency of the rosin sizes. Furthermore, the retention of alkaline filler CaCO3 and paper strength were improved by the polymer addition. It is clear that the polymer can be used as a multifunctional additive for papermaking. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 78: 1805–1810, 2000

A series of polystyrene-based cationic copolymers (PSCC) were synthesized by copolymerization of styrene and the cationic comonomer vinylbenzyl trimethylammonium chloride. These copolymers can be used as internal paper sizing agents in a broad pH range. The effect of the charge density on the PSCC colloid properties was investigated. It was found that at room temperature the PSCC could change from water insoluble to colloidally dispersible and finally to fully water soluble as the charge density was increased. Based on the understanding of their colloid behavior, PSCCs were applied as internal sizing agents for paper. The results showed that the hydrophobicity of handsheets could be significantly improved by PSCCs and the sizing performance was a function of copolymer addition, charge density, particle size, drying temperature, and pH conditions. The present study indicated some potential advantages of PSCC copolymers as internal sizes. PSCC can be self-retained on the fiber surface, no hydrolysis occurs during the storage and application, and no sizing reversion occurs. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 2067–2073, 2000

The phenomenon of mechanosorptive creep (i.e., the increasing creep occurring in some hygroscopic materials subjected to moisture cycling) was studied for paper from a molecular point of view. Paper was tested in creep at different loading levels in a constant high humidity of 90% relative humidity (RH) and in a cyclic climate between 30 and 90% RH. Throughout the creep tests, spectra from the mid- and near-IR, as well as dynamic mechanical data, were recorded to determine molecular changes occurring with time. In tensile stress scans the instantaneous, dynamic elastic modulus was found to increase. It is suggested that this increase was due to orientation of the cellulose molecules, which was detected as changes in the mid-IR spectra at 1160 cm−1 assigned to the C1OC4 stretching. During creep in constant and cyclic humidity, the modulus was found to increase with time, more so for the cyclic humidity. Changes in the mid-IR spectra at 1184 and 1030 cm−1, which is assigned to CH2, CH, and CO, may indicate sliding between the cellulose chains. The near-IR measurements mainly showed differences in the moisture content. In stress scans the moisture content increased with increasing tensile load. In creep at constant 90% RH, the moisture content was also found to increase in a manner similar to the stress scan. In the cyclic humidity with a conditioning time of 70 min at 90% RH the moisture content decreased successively with increasing numbers of cycles. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 79: 1590–1595, 2001

Received 28 June 2005; accepted 9 February 2007DOI 10.1002/app.27367Published online 6 November 2007 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com).ABSTRACT: The effects of dynamic vulcanization (DV)and dynamic vulcanization plus compatibilizer (DVC) of pa-per sludge (PS) filled polypropylene/ethylene propylenediene terpolymer (PP/EPDM) composites on torque develop-ment, mechanical properties, water absorption, morphology,and thermal properties were studied. Results show that DVand DVC composites exhibit higher stabilization torque thanunvulcanized composites (UV). The dynamic vulcanized(DV) and dynamic vulcanized plus compatibilizer (DVC)composites exhibit higher tensile strength, elongation atbreak, and Young’s modulus but lower water absorptionthan unvulcanized composites. The scanning electron micros-copy (SEM) study of tensile fracture surface of DV and DVCcomposites shows the improved interfacial interactionbetween PS and PP/EPDM matrix. The DV and DVC compo-sites also exhibit better thermal stability and higher crystallin-ity than unvulcanized PP/EPDM/PS composites.

Ink-eliminated sludge flour (IESF), waste residue from the recycling treatments of waste paper, was utilized as a new kind of filler to reinforce polypropylene (PP) in this research work. Different coupling agents, including maleated anhydride grafted PP (MAPP), stearic acid (SA), and titanate (NDZ-101), were used to increase the compatibility between IESF and PP. By using different measurements, the microstructure, morphology, thermal behaviors, and mechanical properties of the IESF/PP composites were investigated in detail. It was found that IESF, as a nucleation agent, not only induced the crystallization orientation of PP but also accelerate the crystallization rate of PP. Just as indicated in the experiments, the presence of IESF has shown the advantages of increasing the dimensional stability, the hardness and the flexural property, and the presence of coupling agents has a favorable effect on the improvement of dimensional stability. Moreover, the coupling agent has minor influence on the mechanical property, even causes some decrease in the impact strength. Among these three coupling agents, MAPP is found to be the best coupling agent for increasing the interfacial adhesion between IESF and PP, and the MAPP addition makes the PP composite possess the quickest crystallization rate and greatest tensile strength. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 513–520, 2003

Ink-eliminated sludge flour (IESF), a waste residue from the recycling treatment of waste paper, is a promising new kind of filler for thermoplastic polymers with a good price/performance ratio and advantages for environmental protection. In this study, high-impact polypropylene (PP) and maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) were chosen as a polymer matrix and a coupling agent, respectively, for the preparation of IESF/PP composites, and the structures and properties of the obtained composites were also investigated. The experimental results revealed that IESF not only induced the crystallization orientation of PP along the b axis but also had a restraining effect on the formation of the β phase during the recrystallization of PP from the melt; the addition of MAPP further strengthened this effect to some extent. In addition, the proper addition of MAPP was helpful for improving the thermal stability of the IESF/PP composites. With the strengthening of the interfacial interaction between the IESF and PP matrix by MAPP, the resultant efficient stress transfer from the PP matrix to the IESF particles led to increased tensile and flexural strength. However, the original greater rigidity of MAPP, with respect to PP, reduced the toughness of the composites and caused some negative effects on the impact strength and the elongation at break. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 2320–2325, 2004

The research presented in this paper investigates the effect of thermally accelerated aging on the submicrostructure of cellulose and attempts to relate such changes to the well-documented loss of mechanical strength in aged paper. Filter paper and ramie fibers samples were aged in vacuo at 160°C. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was used to study void structure within the fibers and hydration used as a structural probe. On hydration, the void radius of gyration and area decrease, while the void aspect ratio and overall void fraction increase. After aging, the wet structure more closely resembles the dry, suggesting that water cannot expand the structure to the same extent. It is postulated that increases in local ordering on aging create a structure more resistant to disruption by water. The use of additional techniques, namely Fourier transform IR spectroscopy, wide angle X-ray scattering, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), environmental SEM, and measurement of water retention value, provided additional indirect support for the postulated model. There is no direct evidence for significant crystallinity changes in aged material, suggesting that if structural rearrangements occur, they will be local in nature. There is also no evidence for the formation of covalent crosslinks or new chemical species on aging. Water retention values and wet SAXS results concur, highlighting the importance of water in the cellulose structure and the reduced capacity for water sorption in aged samples. SEM observations show that the failure mechanism in paper changes with age from fibers pull out (i.e., interfiber bond failure) to fiber failure, and wide and zero span tensile tests indicate a weakening of the fibers. These results are consistent with previous reports, and we attribute them primarily to chain scission, although the increased intrafiber bonding may have an influence on the values obtained. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 1465–1477, 1999

In the preservation of Cultural Heritage items, the use of polymeric materials for the consolidation and protection of artifacts with historical and artistic value is widely accepted, except for cellulose-based materials, since here there are no suitable products and appropriate application techniques. Grafting polymerization of acrylic monomers onto cellulose chains represents an innovative method of restoration for both artificially and naturally aged textiles. In this article, some results concerning the grafting polymerization of ethyl acrylate/ethyl methacrylate 75/25 and ethyl acrylate/methyl methacrylate/trifluoroethyl methacrylate 73/24.5/2.5 polymers onto linen and cotton are reported. The effectiveness of grafting polymerization as a method for textiles conservation is discussed. The consolidating and protective effects were investigated by evaluating the mechanical properties and the wetting behavior of the grafted samples, and comparing them with the original and aged substrates. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 90–99, 2007

The present work aims to study the perspectives of an efficient utilization of waste products as fillers for the thermoplastic polymer. Maleic anhydride grafted linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE-g-MA), without any compatibilizers, has been used as polymer matrix to prepare composites with different contents (0–50 phr) of waste paper powder (WPP). Mechanical properties assessment has shown up to 88% improvement in tensile strength and a huge increment of 409% in Young's modulus for the composites prepared at 30 phr WPP. The reinforcement effect of WPP in the polymer matrix was also assessed by Guth-Gold and modified Guth-Gold equations. Microstructural analysis of the fractured surfaces revealed good interfacial adhesion with fewer voids and fiber pull out up to 30 phr WPP loading. Interfacial interaction between maleic anhydride group of LLDPE-g-MA and OH groups present dominantly in the cellulosic component of WPP was established through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The thermal properties of prepared composites were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45167.

Liquefaction of waste paper (WP) was conducted in the presence of polyhydric alcohols to prepare biodegradable polyurethane foam. The liquefied-WP-based polyol had suitable characteristics such as apparent molecular weight, hydroxyl value, and viscosity for the preparation of rigid polyurethane foam and was successfully applied to produce polyurethane foam with the appropriate combinations of foaming agents. The obtained foams showed satisfactory densities and mechanical properties as good as those of foams obtained from liquefied wood- and starch-based polyols. The foams had almost the same thermal stability at initial weight loss and seemed to be potentially biodegradable because they were degraded to some extent in leaf mold. There were no mutagens or carcinogens in the water extracts of the foams. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 1482–1489, 2002

Silicone-modified styrene–butyl acrylate copolymer latex was synthesized by emulsion copolymerization by using octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4), styrene, and butyl acrylate as raw materials, potassium persulfate as initiator and propylmethacrylate triethoxysilane (KH-570) as crosslinking agent. The infrared spectra studies showed that the vinyl monomers were completely copolymerized with D4. The prepared silicone-modified copolymer latex with the interpenetrating polymer networks tended to have higher stability, and better toluene and water resistance than styrene–butyl acrylate latex. The glossiness of coated paper was improved with silicone-modified copolymer latex, and it was at a maximum when D4 was about 3% of total monomers. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 79: 333–336, 2001

Melamine formaldehyde (MF) resins are widely used for the gluing and surface coating of wood-based consumer products in the interior design of living environments. MF resins are especially relevant in decorative laminate applications because of their good performance-to-price ratio. In their industrial processing, an important intermediate state is the liquid MF prepolymer that is used for decorative paper impregnation. Here, the drying of impregnated papers is investigated with respect to premature curing. A new method to quantify water release upon drying that allows estimation of the degree of undesired precuring is described. Since curing proceeds via polycondensation, crosslinking brings about the release of water molecules. By thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), drying was studied in terms of water release due to physical drying (elimination of “dilution water”) and chemical crosslinking of the prepolymer to a three-dimensional MF network (elimination of chemically liberated water). The results obtained by TGA/IR spectroscopic analysis of the liberated volatiles show that the emission of water from b-stage MF can be clearly analytically separated into a physical (evaporation of dilution water) and a chemical (liberation via condensation) sequence. TGA experiments were correlated with curing experiments performed with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to estimate the residual crosslinking capacities of the impregnated papers. The drying conditions used during the preparation of impregnated decorative papers seemed to significantly affect their remaining reactivity only when harsh drying conditions were used. Upon heat exposure for prolonged time, precuring of the oligomer units results in a shift of the temperature maxima in TGA. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 39860.

To improve the paper properties of the poly(1,3,4-oxadiazoles) (POD), the POD pulps were prepared by prechemical and mechanical methods to increase their polarity, contact area, and interaction. The fibrillated degree of the staple fibers was evaluated by the Canadian Standard Freeness and the specific surface area, while the surface free energy was calculated by the Micro–wilhelmy method. Meanwhile, the functional groups and compositions on the surface of the POD fibers were confirmed by the FTIR–ATR and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the surface morphological structure and the crystalline structure of the POD fibers were observed by the fiber analyzer, scanning electron microscope, and Wide-angle X-ray diffraction, respectively. It was found that the pronounced abrasive and distinctive grooves were formed on the surface of the POD fibers after prechemical and mechanical treatment. The surface free energy of POD fibers increased 8.41%, and the polar part increased by 32.10% after treatment. It was confirmed that the polar functional groups and fibril were formed after chemical and mechanical treatment, so the interaction of the POD fibers was highly enhanced, and as a result the apparent density, tensile strength, fold endurance, and tear strength of the paper formed by those treated fibers were all improved apparently. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 39818.

Whey is a byproduct of cheese making. Disposal of whey may cause environmental pollutions. Whey protein isolate (WPI) is obtained from whey via ion-exchange and ultra-filtration, and contains more than 90% of protein. Most current commercially available paper glue products are made from undegradable synthetic polymers and may be harmful to human. The objective of this study was to develop environmentally friendly and children safe paper glue using WPI and sucrose as major ingredients. Results showed that both desirable bonding strength and viscosity of the safe paper glue were achieved by adding sucrose. The whey protein and sucrose based paper glue had excellent recovered bonding strength (ideal for self-seal envelopes) and bonding strength to different substrates (paper–paper, paper–wood, paper–plastic, and paper–metal). Shelf life tests indicated that the safe glue was stable with addition of low level of preservative and there were no considerable changes in bonding strength and viscosity during the storage at 23°C or 40°C for up to 1 year. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 39710.

The investigation of the economical use of lignocellulose waste, which is one of the environmental problems facing third-world nations, is ongoing. In this study, we intended to increase the use of newsprint fibers in the rubber industry. For this reason, we treated newsprint fibers with sodium silicate and magnesium chloride, and we examined the water retention values and thermal degradation analyses of the treated fiber waste. The activation energy of degradation was evaluated with the Coats–Redfern method of analysis. The effects of the addition of different amounts [0–60 parts per hundred parts of rubber by weight (phr)] of untreated and treated newsprint fibers on both the electrical and mechanical properties of two different types of rubber (natural rubber and acrylonitrile rubber) were studied. This study led us to the conclusion that the addition of treated newsprint fiber waste at a concentration of 40 phr could lead to an end product characterized by good electrical and mechanical properties. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 3410–3420, 2004