Lauric arginate/cellulose nanocrystal nanorods-stabilized alkenyl succinic anhydride pickering emulsion: enhancement of stabilization and paper sizing performance

Biodegradable colloidal particle materials are becoming attractive candidates as eco-friendly chemical additives in the low-carbon economy era. However, developing cheap, stable, and efficient paper-sizing agents is still a challenging issue for both the paper-making academic community and industry. Here, an easy-fabricating, stable, and high-performance alkenyl succinic anhydride (ASA) paper-sizing emulsion that is stabilized by lauric arginate (LAE)/cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) nanorods is developed. Furthermore, the partial hydrophobization between ASA and LAE/CNCs can be adjusted due to the partial hydrophobization between ASA and LAE/CNC nanorods, resulting in improved stability of the ASA-sizing emulsion. This novel paper-sizing emulsion is shown to have a small droplet size (0.8 mu m), high hydrolysis resistance, and a high paper-sizing degree (300 s) along with a remarkable hydrophobicity contact angle of 110 degrees for long-term storage. This work enables the realization of an interfacial self-assembled Pickering-stabilizer, which leads to an environmentally friendly, pervasive and cost-effective emulsification technique for next-generation paper-sizing additives.

Automated summary

An easy-fabricating, stable, and high-performance alkenyl succinic anhydride (ASA) paper-sizing emulsion stabilized by lauric arginate (LAE)/cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) nanorods is developed in this study. The partial hydrophobization between ASA and LAE/CNCs adjusts the stability of the ASA-sizing emulsion. This novel emulsion shows small droplet size, high hydrolysis resistance, and a high paper-sizing degree for long-term storage.