Cellulose-based packaging materials have sparked a growing interest due to their biodegradability, recyclability and renewability. One of the main factors limiting the use of cellulose-based packaging materials is their somewhat poor formability which in turn has detrimental effects for the final shaping properties of the material. However, this problem might be solved by the chemical modification of fibers and/or fiber network structures. In this study, gelatin was introduced onto cellulose fibers and the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of the resulted composites were investigated by using tensile tester, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). For example, the gelatin treatment of a paper hand sheet increased its elastic properties (up to 20% elongation at break) and tensile strength (up to 80 Nm/g). Main results and possible applications for the developed composite materials will be discussed.

Cellulose-gelatin composite materials for packaging applications

245th National Meeting (2013)

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