Fabrication of cellulose-based and fluorine/silane free superhydrophobic paper by a green and sustainable approach

Research on bio-based, fluorine free, and silane free superhydrophobic paper was of great significance in promoting the development of sustainable materials. Herein, we presented a facile and green method for fabricating superhydrophobic paper. First, a cellulose-based hydrophobic material (DAC-ODA) was synthesized by reacting dialdehyde cellulose (DAC) with octadecylamine (ODA) via a Schiff base reaction. Then, silica nanoparticles was used to enhance the surface roughness of the coating. The resulting coated paper exhibited superhydrophobic with a water contact angle of 155 ± 0.6° and a sliding angle of 4.1 ± 0.4°. Moreover, excellent repellent performances towards both cold and hot water were also observed. The superhydrophobicity of the coated paper were well maintained even when exposed to acidic/alkaline erosions and high temperature environment. Additionally, the coated paper demonstrated good recyclability, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. Thus, this cellulose-based superhydrophobic paper would be potential candidates for fabricating disposable superhydrophbic packaging materials with broad applications.