Comparing the rheological properties of novel nanofibrillar cellulose-formulated pigment coating colours with those using traditional thickener

Abstract Nanocellulose containing materials, such as micro-fibrillated cellulose (MFC) and nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), are potential additives which could improve strength properties of coated paper and board surfaces and thus substitute natural and synthetic cobinders, such as carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and polyacrylic thickeners, in pigmented coating formulations. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether MFC/NFC can be used in coating colours as sole co-binder. In this investigation, the change of rheological and dewatering behaviour of coating colours, having a single blend of pigments (ground calcium carbonate and kaolin clay) together with a latex emulsion binder, is studied when CMC is used as sole co-binder and during its partial and finally total replacement with MFC/NFC. The findings suggest that even though all coatings show viscoelasticity, MFC/NFC is seen to relate to the gel-like nature of the nanoparticles in the coating colour whereas the viscoelastic behaviour in the case of CMC is induced by differential flocculation amongst the pigment and latex binder. The flocculation mechanism is predicted to be necessary in order to provide the link between water retention and elastic structure recovery where anti-sagging is a prerequisite, such as in the coating of rough substrates, e.g. for board and packaging.