Contacts:
Supervisor(s):
Prof. Valter Castelvetro and Prof. Marco Lessi
Title of the PhD project:
Analysis and development of hydrophobic and oleophobic ‘fluorine-free’ modifiers for paper.
Abstract of the PhD project:
Water- and oil-repellent surfaces are fundamental for many applications, such as food packaging, self-cleaning, anti-fouling materials, etc. Especially for food packaging materials, hydrophobic and oleophobic properties play an essential role in preventing food contamination and/or leakage. Paper is a porous substrate permeable to liquids, therefore its use in food contact materials is currently based on multi-layered products including polymers and sometimes metal films. Fluorinated agents provide excellent performances but, being under scrutiny as potentially harmful to the environment and human health, more environmental-friendly and safe solutions have to be investigated.
The PhD project will focus on the development of new fluorine-free water- and oil-repellent treatments, combining the advantages of renewable cellulose substrate with new environmentally-friendly modifiers of the surface and/or the bulk of its porous structure while preserving paper recyclability, biocompatibility, biodegradability, low cost, easy processing with current equipment, and providing adequate mechanical properties. This will be achieved by thorough evaluation of existing paper coating formulations, and by exploring different materials and preparation methods along with a broad range of spectroscopic, morphological, thermal and mechanical characterization techniques from the molecular to the macroscopic level.
Publications:
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Oral communications at conferences
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Poster communications at conferences:
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Other achievements:
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