Alkylated Phosphorylated Fibers: A New Substitute for Silicone in Release Paper Manufacturing

The production of release coatings has been increasing in recent years because of their use in various fields. However, commercially available release coatings are regarded as non-recyclable. As a consequence, the repulping of these residues is difficult, and their presence in the recycling stream represents an important source of contamination. One solution to this problem is to use new coating materials that can replace the siliconized backing, provided that these new materials are recyclable. As a solution to this problem, the authors propose the use of alkylated phosphorylated fibers to produce an environmentally friendly and inexpensive release paper. The results show that a surface application of hydrophobic phosphorylated fibers reduces the surface free energy of the paper support, as well as the peel strength, which facilitates the separation of the adhesive tape.