According to a report this week by the MEHR News Agency (Tehran, Iran), Iranian researchers have successfully added clay nanoparticles to paper production process to increase the mechanical strength of paper.

 

According to Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council (INIC), the research studied the effects of clay nanoparticles on improvement of mechanical and physical properties of paper. Clay is a cost-effective and harmless material so its application in increasing paper strength is both economic and environmentally friendly. It also boosts durability and resistance of paper.

Adding clay nanoparticles to paper increases the number of bonds between paper fibers which results in an increase in tensile, busting, and crush strengths. However, the amount of nanoparticles should be optimum to prevent a decrease in tearing resistance.

Two paper pastes have been studied in this research. The first one is paper paste made of waste paper boxes and the second one is NSSC. Clay nanoparticles were added to paper paste suspension in five levels. Then, paper was produced by using various types of paper pastes with different concentrations of clay nanoparticles, and their structures and physical and mechanical properties were investigated.

Results showed that adding 2% of clay nanoparticles to paper paste made of waste paper boxes increases tearing resistance and busting strength up to 3.7% and 8.7% respectively.