Nanoassembly on Pulp Fibers for Stronger Paper with Better Recycling

"The goal of this project is to implement the industrial use of layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte nanocoated pulp fibers, thereby to bring new technology to paper making. The proposed work is based on our pioneering in the layer-by-layer nanoassembly techniques and on our results on modification of lignocellulose fibers, which made stronger paper and improved paper recycling. Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly is a nanofabrication technique which has been used to produce multilayered films with nanometer precision through alternate adsorption of oppositely charged components. The main work directions are as follows: 1) Fiber polyelectrolyte nanocoating with control of thickness (in the range 5-50 nm), surface roughness, and surface charge (negative and positive). 2) Development of new paper making processes based on the mixture of LbL-nanocoated positive and negative fibers: Modifying recycled fibers for electrostatic bonding. Drastic increase the percentage of LbL treated recycled fibers in paper without loosing paper strength. 3) Scaling up our nanocoating process to tens of kilograms and more. 4) Customizing the technology for patent licensing, working with individual paper mills. The proposed LbL nanocoating will increase paper recycling. We propose to develop specific polyelectrolytes for commercial use in current pulp preparations to improve fiber surface properties for better bonding and stronger paper."