Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Chitosan–Graft–Poly(dimethylsiloxane)/Zein Coatings for the Fabrication of Environmentally Friendly Oil- and Water-Resistant Paper

Researchers developed a sustainable paper coating using chitosan-graft-poly(dimethylsiloxane) and zein biopolymers that provides oil and water resistance, offering a biodegradable alternative to conventional synthetic polymer coatings that contribute to microplastic pollution. The approach demonstrates a practical strategy for reducing plastic waste in paper packaging applications.

2020 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 89 citations
Article Tier 2

Fabrication of water/oil-resistant paper by nanocellulose stabilized Pickering emulsion and chitosan

Researchers developed a plastic-free, biodegradable water- and oil-resistant paper coating using cellulose nanofibrils and chitosan in a Pickering emulsion system. The coating provided excellent barrier properties against water and oil while maintaining paper recyclability and compostability. The study offers a promising alternative to conventional plastic-based food packaging coatings that contribute to microplastic pollution.

2024 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Oil‐ and water‐resistant paper substrate using blends of chitosan‐graft‐polydimethylsiloxane and poly(vinyl alcohol)

Researchers developed a plastic- and fluorine-free coating approach for oil and water repellent paper substrates using blends of poly(vinyl alcohol) and chitosan-graft-polydimethylsiloxane copolymer, offering an economical alternative to conventional coatings that contribute to microplastic contamination.

2021 Journal of Applied Polymer Science 31 citations
Article Tier 2

New alternatives to single‐use plastics: Starch and chitosan‐graft‐polydimethylsiloxane‐coated paper for water‐ and oil‐resistant applications

Researchers developed a fluorine-free, bio-based paper coating using starch and chitosan grafted with polydimethylsiloxane, achieving water- and oil-resistance comparable to conventional fluorochemical coatings while remaining biodegradable and compostable.

2021 Nano Select 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Bio-Based Dual-Layer UV-Cured Oil- and Water-Resistant Paper Coating for Food Packaging Applications

Despite its title referencing bio-based paper coatings for food packaging, this paper studies how chitosan and plant-oil-derived coatings can replace fluorine-based chemicals on paper food packaging to resist water and oil — not microplastic pollution. It examines barrier performance and mechanical strength and is not relevant to microplastics or human health.

2026 International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Water- and Oil-Repellent Coating for Disposable Meal Boxes Based on Highly Deacetylated Chitosan

Researchers developed a sustainable, fluorine-free chitosan-based coating for paper meal boxes that provides water and oil resistance, offering an environmentally safer alternative to conventional petrochemical and fluorinated coatings that generate microplastics and PFAS contamination.

2025 Materials
Article Tier 2

A Fully Plant-Based Water- and Oil-Resistant Paper Composite

Researchers developed a fully plant-based paper composite coated with lignin as a water- and oil-resistant alternative to plastic-coated or PFAS-treated food packaging. Optimized hot-pressing conditions produced a coating that resisted water for 100 minutes and oil for 25 minutes, and the material fully biodegraded in garden soil within 56 days.

2024 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Bio-Based Monoepoxy-TerminatedPolysiloxane-ModifiedCoating for Hydrophobic and Oil-Resistant Paper

Researchers developed a bio-based coating material by grafting monoepoxy-terminated polysiloxane onto chitosan and cellulose nanofibers via a one-pot method, producing films with tunable hydrophobic and oil-resistant properties for sustainable packaging paper as an alternative to nondegradable plastic coatings.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Degradable Polymeric Waxes for Paper Coating Applications

Scientists created degradable wax-like polymers that can coat paper packaging to make it water- and oil-resistant, offering an alternative to traditional plastic coatings. Unlike conventional plastic-coated paper, these coated papers can be broken down and recycled through standard paper repulping. This kind of innovation could help reduce the microplastic pollution that comes from plastic-coated packaging materials breaking down in the environment.

2024 ACS Applied Polymer Materials 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Packaging with Waterborne Acrylated Epoxidized Soybean Oil

Researchers developed a sustainable packaging material by coating kraft paper with waterborne acrylated epoxidized soybean oil. The study found that the coated paper demonstrated good water and oil resistance, compatibility with printing processes, and reached over 90% biodegradability within 90 days, offering a promising alternative to conventional plastic packaging.

2024 ACS Sustainable Resource Management 10 citations
Article Tier 2

High Barrier Sustainable Paper Coating Based on Engineered Polysaccharides and Natural Rubber

Researchers developed a paper-based food packaging coating using engineered polysaccharides and natural rubber that provides barrier performance approaching that of plastic films while being biodegradable and avoiding microplastic formation. The coating maintained oxygen and moisture barrier properties under stress conditions relevant to food shelf life.

2022 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Chitosan/Montmorillonite Coatings for the Fabrication of Food-Safe Greaseproof Paper

Researchers developed a non-toxic greaseproof paper coating by combining chitosan with montmorillonite clay, finding that the composite coating significantly improved oil resistance compared to chitosan alone, offering a food-safe alternative to fluorochemical-based coatings.

2021 Polymers 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Cellulose nanofibers/polyvinyl alcohol blends as an efficient coating to improve the hydrophobic and oleophobic properties of paper

Researchers developed a paper coating made from cellulose nanofibers and polyvinyl alcohol and found it significantly improved paper's resistance to both water and grease while also increasing tensile strength, offering a potentially more sustainable alternative to the plastic-based coatings currently used in food packaging.

2022 Scientific Reports 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Recyclable and Biodegradable Paper Coating with Functionalized PLA and PBAT

Researchers developed recyclable and industrially compostable paper coatings using functionalized polylactic acid and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) blends as alternatives to conventional polyester coatings. The coated paper demonstrated effective water and oil repellency, barrier properties, and mechanical performance while being fully repulpable and recyclable. Notably, the coating is free of PFAS and persistent microplastics, offering a circular economy solution for food packaging.

2025 ACS Omega 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanocellulose Coating on Kraft Paper

This paper is not directly about microplastics — it evaluates nanofibrillated cellulose coatings on kraft paper as a biodegradable alternative to plastic-based food packaging coatings, finding improvements in barrier properties, density, and mechanical strength.

2023 Coatings 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Biomimetic Design of Biodegradable Polymer Films for Sustainable Food Packaging: Integrating Indigenous Material Wisdom with Modern Chemistry

This paper is not primarily about microplastic pollution; it describes the development of biodegradable food packaging films from biopolymers like chitosan and alginate as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics, with the goal of preventing microplastic generation at the source rather than studying existing contamination.

2026 International Journal of Applied and Behavioral Sciences
Article Tier 2

Preparation and Characterization of Degradable Cellulose−Based Paper with Superhydrophobic, Antibacterial, and Barrier Properties for Food Packaging

Researchers prepared food packaging paper coated with polylactic acid and cinnamaldehyde as a barrier layer and nano silica-modified stearic acid as a superhydrophobic outer layer, creating a cellulose-based alternative to plastic packaging. The resulting material showed excellent water resistance, thermal stability, and antimicrobial activity while being made from renewable and biodegradable components.

2022 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Bio-based materials for barrier coatings on paper packaging

Researchers reviewed bio-based polymer coatings for paper packaging, evaluating how naturally renewable biopolymers can replace petroleum-derived synthetic coatings to provide effective oxygen, oil, and moisture barriers while reducing environmental impact.

2022 Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery 140 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic-Free Bioactive Paper Coatings, Way to Next-Generation Sustainable Paper Packaging Application: A Review

This review examines bio-derived paper coatings as plastic-free alternatives for sustainable packaging, synthesizing developments in biopolymer coatings sourced from biomass that can replace petroleum-derived polymers while meeting functional performance requirements for food and medical applications.

2022 Green and Sustainable Chemistry 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Moving Toward Paperization of Packaging Industry: Use of Laponite and Montmorillonite Nanoclays for Recyclable and Biodegradable High-Barrier Paper

Researchers developed a biodegradable paper coating using polyvinyl alcohol and nanoclays (laponite and montmorillonite) that achieves oxygen barrier performance nine times better than PET plastic film. This work is directly relevant to microplastic pollution because replacing conventional plastic packaging with biodegradable, non-microplastic-forming alternatives is a key strategy for reducing environmental plastic loads.

2026 ACS Omega