Description :  Pulp and paper production is one of the major Louisiana industries with about $4.3 billion in revenue and 11,000 employees.  International competition has sharply increased recently, and as a result, it is vitally important to develop new technologies to help the industry. In this project we apply a new nanotechnology method—layer-by-layer nanoassembly—for coating pulp and paper.  Louisiana Tech University stands as a national leader in nanoassembly technique based on the alternate adsorption of oppositely-charged polymers and nanoparticles, which allows production of ultrathin coatings with needed compositions. We produce molecularly organized coatings in two main steps: 1) On pulp fibers, to systematically modify their surface charge and roughness (which potentially decreases pulp beating); and 2) On pre-formed paper to make controlled loading with nanoparticles, including clay and nanotubules, to modify its surface properties and enhance wet and dry strength.  Layer-by-layer nanoassembly is based on aqueous polymer solutions, environmentally friendly, and easily scaled up to mass production. An additional benefit for Louisiana Tech researchers lies in the fact that this technique is based on unique skills and intellectual property in nanotechnology recently developed here. We have already received promising preliminary results in collaborations with International Paper Company, which owns a major potion of the Louisiana paper industry.  Results of this project will be transferred through International Paper and its factories and through the local Aura-Nanotechnology Company to reach smaller pulp plants.

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Principal Investigator:  Lvov, Yuri  --  Chemistry

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Collaborators:  

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Funding Agencies:  Board of Regents

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Amount Awarded:  $178,480

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Start Period:  06/01/2005

End Period:  06/30/2008