Production and mechanical characterization of free-standing pigmented paper coating layers with latex and starch as binder

The mechanical properties of paper coating layers are important in various converting processes such as printing and folding of the paper. A method was developed to produce free-standing pigmented coating layers thick enough to be tested in bending as well as tension. The mechanical properties of these coating layers were characterized. Free-standing films with two types of binder formulations, pure latex or latex-starch combinations, with different binder content were prepared through an innovative film forming method that allows uniform drying of the coating layer while minimizing cracking. Tensile and flexural samples were cut out of these films. Tensile and flexural tests were carried out on samples and the results were compared. Tensile and flexural moduli were found to be similar. However, both stress at failure and strain at failure were higher in flexural tests compared to those in tensile tests. Three different types of paper were coated with these formulations and their failure during printing was evaluated through a standard ink picking test. Papers with different basis weights and porosities were found to have different picking resistance values. An interesting result was that the picking resistance did not correlate with the elastic modulus of the coating, but with the strain at failure behavior. This result indicates that the stiffness of the coating layer is not as critical during printing compared to its flexibility.