Recent advances in superhydrophobic paper derived from nonwood fibers

Abstract

Nonwood fibers are appealing substitutes for the raw materials for the pulp and paper sector, such as for packaging, whose market demand is growing, given their variety of sources and the decreasing trend of wood supply. To change the inherent hydrophilic properties of fibers, several specialty papers with additional features, such as hydrophobic qualities, have been actively produced globally. Compared with hydrophobic paper, superhydrophobic paper has a larger water contact angle (>150°), which endows it with superior capabilities, such as water repellence, anticorrosion, self-cleaning, anti-icing, drag reduction, and easy roll-off. This review presents the fundamentals of wettability, progress in preparing superhydrophobic nonwood papers, determination of the properties of superhydrophobic nonwood papers, characterization of superhydrophobic nonwood papers, and application of superhydrophobic nonwood papers. The future challenges, research, and development of superhydrophobic paper made from nonwood fibers are also briefly discussed. It is expected that durable superhydrophobic papers from non-wood sources can be produced using environmentally-friendly and economically-feasible technologies. Life cycle and techno-economic evaluations of superhydrophobic paper made from nonwood materials are recommended. The usage of these papers to replace plastic-based materials in food packaging and advanced applications like sensing devices would help to increase the use of sustainable materials.