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MDPI, Coatings, 1(12), p. 10, 2021

DOI: 10.3390/coatings12010010

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Evaluation of Coatings to Improve the Durability and Water-Barrier Properties of Corrugated Cardboard

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

Recently, corrugated cardboard furniture gained interest from the market, yet is limited to indoor application. With an aim toward outdoor usage, water-barrier improvement of such products must be achieved. In this work, three commercially available coating grades (i.e., polymeric, mineral-filled polymeric, and hybrid silica sol-gel products) were spray-coated on corrugated cardboard using a facile, yet readily transferable, process. The investigation assessed the coating performance from the different drying conditions and natural UV-vis weathering effects, characterising their water absorption, hydrophobicity, coating morphology, and colour change. Results show a reduction in water absorption values (up to −98%) for both the polymeric coatings; instead, the hybrid sol-gel coating showed contact angles up to almost 150°. Generally, the SEM micrographs displayed some surface defects as well as good thickness homogeneity. A perceivable colour change occurred for each sample (CIEDE2000 up to 6.41), mainly occurring in the 0–100 h time range. This work provides promising results for the outdoor application of corrugated cardboard furniture.