Perhydropolysilazane-derived-SiOx coated cellulose: a transparent biodegradable material with high gas barrier property

A transparent perhydropolysilazane-derived-SiO x coated cellulose film with high gas barrier properties was fabricated via a facile solution dip-coating followed by UV curing method. The conversion of perhydropolysilazane to SiO x was proved by ATR-FTIR, XPS and TOF–SIMS characterizations. AFM and SEM images revealed the smoothness of the coating and good adhesion between the cellulose substrate and the coating. The thickness of the SiO x coating (50–450 nm) can be tuned by changing the concentration of the perhydropolysilazane precursor solution. The cellulose film (35 µm in thickness) with 450 nm thick SiO x coating exhibits low oxygen transmission rate (OTR) value of 0.82 cm 3 /m 2 ·day and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) value of 1.28 g/m 2 ·day. The excellent oxygen and water vapor barrier properties, ultrahigh transparency and complete biodegradability of the SiO x coated cellulose film endow it competitive potential for packaging applications. Graphical abstract A transparent perhydropolysilazane-derived-SiO x layer is tightly coated on a cellulose film via a facile solution dip-coating followed by UV curing method. The sandwich structured cellulose-SiO x films show excellent oxygen and water vapor barrier properties as well as ultrahigh transparency and complete biodegradability, which has a great potential for food, medicine and other packaging applications.