Turning polysaccharides into hydrophobic materials: a critical review. Part 1. Cellulose

Abstract

This survey constitutes the first part of a comprehensive review, whose purpose is to provide a reasoned perspective in the field related to the preparation of new polysaccharide-based hydrophobic materials by scrutinizing the actual state of its art. This part of the review is entirely dedicated to cellulose, by far the most probed natural substrate, where publications dealing with both chemical and physical treatments aimed at inducing a substantial increase in the hydrophobic character of the surface are critically examined. Furthermore, this initiative constitutes an attempt to emphasize the relevance of this topic within the broader context of the elaboration of novel materials based on renewable resources as a viable alternative to their fossil-based counterparts.

Water Repellence and Oxygen and Water Vapor Barrier of PVOH-Coated Substrates before and after Surface Esterification

“…The utilization of biopolymers in packaging applications is increasing, with biopolymers substituting or complementing conventional fossil-based polymers [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Biopolymers are defined as being based on renewable resources and/or being biodegradable [9].…”

Modification of Surface Energy and Wetting of Textile Fibers

“…Roughened surfaces have commonly been obtained by the introduction of nano-size particles onto the pristine surface, and the sol-gel technique has been reported as a promising tool for the preparation of water-repellent coatings that is especially versatile for applications on glass, paper, and textile [95][96][97][98][99][100]. An exhaustive review on the application of sol-gel techniques to textiles has been published by Mahltig and Textor [101], and a series of selected articles is reported in Table 7.…”

Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Surface on a Cellulose-based Material via Chemical Modification

“…The esterification of cellulose is popular surface modification method that affords cellulose derivatives with increased hydrophobicity. [15][16][17] Transesterification reactions have been employed to improve the water repellency of cellulose fiber (cotton), but even the most hydrophobic cotton derivative shows a low WCA of 80 o . Popular chemical reactions used to obtain superhydrophobic cotton fabric include reaction with chloroacetyl chloride in a THF/pyridine, 18 acetylation with acetic anhydride, 19 esterification with trifluoroacetic anhydride, 20 and surface modification with a perfluoro-long alkyl chain.…”