Mechanism Analysis of Stiffness Improvement by Waterborne Epoxy Resin Surface Sizing Agent

Low-basis-weight paper lacks normal strength and stiffness. Waterborne epoxy resin could be employed with oxidized starch to improve paper stiffness through surface sizing. In this study,the mechanism of enhancing stiffness by adding waterborne epoxy resin was fully investigated. The results indicated that through surface sizing with epoxy resin,the paper thickness was preserved,whereas the elastic modulus increased significantly and the epoxy resin had positive impact on single fiber strength. A rigid resin layer and interpenetrating polymer network formed on the surface and in the inner layer of the paper,respectively. The formed resin layer and interpenetrating polymer network strongly supported the paper,leading to the improvement of the elastic modulus and stiffness. The stiffness improvement through surface sizing was mainly due to the formation of a fibrous composite layer and penetration of the sizing agent into the inner layers of the paper. The better the combination between fiber and sizing agent,the higher were the elastic modulus and the stiffness of the whole paper.