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A multifunctional fluorescent polymer based on coumarin (MFPC) was synthesized using a four-step synthetic route. To obtain the target compound, 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin, coumarin fluorescent monomer (CFM), and ultraviolet absorber monomer (UVAM) were prepared. By the reaction of CFM, UVAM, trimethyl-2-methacroyloxyethylammonium chloride (DMC), and acrylamide (AM) as a linker, a new multifunctional fluorescent polymer was synthesized. The structure of the MFPC was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopies. The optical properties of MFPC were measured by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and fluorescence spectroscopies, in aqueous solution. The integration effect between MFPC and paper was tested by scanning electron microscopy. The application performance of MFPC on paper was evaluated by measuring the surface strength, smoothness, and whiteness using the printability tester and the UV accelerated aging test. Results indicated that the MFPC had good solubility in water. It also exhibited a positive effect on the light stability and surface strength of paper as a light stabilizer, fluorescent brightener, and surface sizing agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing basis weight could lead to huge savings of forest resources as well as energy consumption and waste treatment in the papermaking process. However, low basis weight paper generally lacks normal strength and stiffness. The lower the basis weight of the paper, the more important is surface sizing. Highly cross-linked cured epoxy resin, due to its epoxy group and phenyl group, has gained such outstanding mechanical properties and dimensional stability that it could be utilized to enhance paper strength and stiffness through surface sizing when incorporated with oxidized starch. In this study, the impacts of sizing volume, fluid temperature, curing agent, and curing system dosage on sizing were investigated. Our results indicated that a rigid resin layer and interpenetrating polymer network formed on the surface and in the inner layer of the paper, respectively. The formed resin layers strongly support the paper and thus resulted in the improvement of strength and stiffness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]