Roll-to-roll fabrication of cellulose nanocrystal-poly(vinyl alcohol) composite coatings with controlled anisotropy

Reaz A. Chowdhury, Caitlyn Clarkson, Vitus A. Apalangya, S. M.Naeemul Islam, Jeffrey P. Youngblood

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

27 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) composite coatings may impart many benefits in packaging, electronic, optical, etc. applications, however, large-scale cellulose coating production is a major engineering challenge. A versatile roll-to-roll reverse gravure process for the manufacture of cellulose nanocrystal-poly(vinyl alcohol) (CNC–PVA) coatings on a flexible polymer substrate was investigated in the present work. CNC content was varied from 0 to 100% to determine the effect of CNC concentration on coating anisotropy. Coatings were characterized by polarized light microscopy, UV–Vis spectrophotometry, cross-hatch adhesion testing and optical profilometry. This method produced uniform, highly transparent coatings with surface roughness less than 100 nm for all CNC–PVA weight ratios examined. The isotropic-anisotropic coating transformation was observed above 50% CNC, with a maximum anisotropy at 70% CNC along the shear direction. Anisotropic CNC–PVA coatings exhibited increased water vapor barrier performance due to the increased CNC packing and density.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6547-6560
Number of pages14
JournalCellulose
Volume25
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2018

Keywords

  • Anisotropy
  • Cellulose nanocrystals
  • Poly(vinyl alcohol)
  • Roll-to-roll
  • Transparency

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