Nanocellulosic fillers for waterborne wood coatings: reinforcement effect on free-standing coating films

Coatings fulfill an important function in providing functionality and service life to wood surfaces. In the present study, the potential of nanocellulosic fillers toward improving waterborne wood coating mechanics is evaluated using free-standing coating films. At 2% filler content, significant improvements in static and dynamic mechanical properties were observed. The extent of these improvements was different depending on whether high-aspect-ratio cellulose nanofibrils of short cellulose nanocrystals were used. Chemical surface modification of cellulose nanofibrils did not provide further improvement. The water-vapor sorption properties of the coating films, which were also evaluated, did not show significant effects due to addition of nanocellulose, while optical transparency slightly decreased.