Preparation of robust and fully bio-based modified paper via mussel-inspired layer-by-layer assembly of chitosan and carboxymethyl cellulose for food packaging

A green and facile method was proposed to prepare robust and fully bio-based modified paper in this study, which involved in layer-by-layer deposition of chitosan (CS) and mussel adhesive protein-mimetic polymer (dopamine-grafted carboxymethyl cellulose, CMC-g-DA) on paper surface and subsequent oxidative cross-linking by sodium periodate. The mechanical, barrier and antibacterial properties of the cross-linked multilayer-modified paper significantly improved with the increased bilayer numbers. Compared with unmodified paper, cross-linked (CS/CMC-g-DA)6 multilayer-modified paper exhibited 71.6 % improvement in tensile strength, 69.2 % and 56.3 % decline in air and water vapor permeability, as well as above 90 % antibacterial efficiency against S. aureus and E. coli. Particularly, the cross-linked multilayer-modified paper maintained outstanding functional stability even after suffering from vigorously corrosive treatment. The obtained functional paper effectively extended the shelf-life of Agaricus bisporus to 6 days under ambient conditions. We believed that the prepared robust functional paper in this study will have promising application prospect in food packaging field.