Click chemistry modifications for the selective crosslinking of wood pulp fibers – effect on the physical and mechanical properties of paper

Abstract

The Cu(I)-catalyzed Huisgen cycloaddition click chemistry reaction is of particular interest in the production of paper sheets or natural fiber composites since it leads to the formation of chemically stable bonds between two fibers. This study focuses on the click chemistry modification of kraft pulp fibers. We based our approach on prior research that treated kraft fibers using click chemistry, including propargylation and tosylation reactions. Our focus was on enhancing these treatments to achieve better final sheet properties. After the azidation of tosylated fibers, the crosslinking is carried out with and without a catalyst using water as a solvent to form enhanced kraft fiber sheets. The chemical characterization and the mechanical properties of fibers obtained at intermediate stages confirmed the presence of various functions on the surface of the modified fibers, with a very high degree of substitution and the inter-fiber cross-linking by click chemistry. The presence of inter-fibers covalent bonds led to significant improvements in the mechanical strength and tensile stiffness of the sheets.