Evaluating the surface energy of laboratory-made paper sheets by contact angle measurements

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Contact angle is one of the most useful tools to easily assess the surface energy of paper sheets. However, the results obtained should be treated with some caution, since these measurements are significantly influenced by the properties of the liquids used and of the paper surface. Our study compares the values of the contact angle and of the surface energy of laboratory hand sheets produced with demineralized water and with white water (collected from the paper mill). In addition, and to assess the influence of paper roughness on the contact angle measurements, some 3-D topographical parameters were computed by perfilometry. Complementary measurements were also performed with commercial paper samples. The results clearly demonstrate that the kind of water used in the sheet-making process has a more pronounced influence on the surface energy of the paper sheets than whether the paper sheets were made in a laboratory sheet former or in an industrial paper machine.