Surface modification of Microfibrillated Cellulose films by Gas-Phase Esterification: Improvement of Barrier Properties, 2010 TAPPI International Conference on Nanotechnology for the Forest Product Industry

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The purpose of the present study was to verify the potential of gas phase acetylation on MFC films to increase the hydrophobicity and improve the barrier properties of the films. This was done by esterification with a mix of trifluoroacetic acid anhydride (TFAA) and acetic acid (AcOH). Due to the high reactivity of the TFAA at 40oC, esterifications were obtained when TFAA was in excess in the reaction mixture. The reaction was confirmed by FT-IR and the hydrophobicity improvement was evaluated using contact angle measurements.