Functional surfaces produced by foam coating

This paper reports experiments on the formulations that are suitable for applying a thin pigment layer with the foam coating technique on a paper web. To understand foaming properties of nano-silica dispersions, critical micelle concentration (CMC), foam half-life time and foam bubble size stability were determined with three different foaming agents. Pilot foam coating trials were done and the effects of the chosen foaming agents were studied on the properties of the nano-silica coated paper. The results show that the surface hydrophilicity of the silica coated paper was related not only to silica pigment, but also to the chemical nature of the foaming agent. Paper standard properties were not affected by the thin silica coating.