Evaluating the Printability Characteristics of the Paper Board by Using Nano Fibers Based Coatings

In this work, the nanofibers were prepared both from bagasse and wood pulp by enzymetic reaction using endoglucanase enzyme by masuko grinder in neutral medium. The prepared nanofibers were subjected for evaluation to identify the nano characteristic using practical size analyzer. The coating solutions were prepared in different weight % of nanofibers and TiO₂ nanoparticles separately with the binder carboxyl methyl cellulose. Then, it was coated on to the selected uncoated paper board of 180.0 GSM. The distribution of nanofibers and TiO₂ nanoparticles coated on the paper board were evaluated using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The porosity and smoothness of the selected board before and after coating were measured using Bendtsen Automatic Densometer. The decrease in porosity values of the samples of the coated nanofiber sample is approximately 15%. The tensile strength of the coated paper board was measured using Universal Testing Machine (UTM) and a 15% increase in values compared to the selected uncoated paper board were observed. Then, the coated paper board samples were printed using IGT printability tester to evaluate the pick velocity. The pick values of the coated samples were found to be very good even at very high speed compared to the uncoated paper board sample.