Lightweight paper board

• US 10,640,925 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flex R&D Inc.
• Original Assignee: Flex R&D Inc.
• Inventors: Mallya, Prakash
• Primary Examiner(s): Cordray, Dennis R
• Application Number:
  US16/481,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20190376234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 11/002 by using a foamed suspension
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 11/10 Mixtures of chemical and mechanical pulp
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 11/18 Highly hydrated, swollen or fibrillatable fibres
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 11/20 Chemically or biochemically modified fibres
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 17/55 Polyamides; Polyaminoamides; Polyester-amides
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 21/18 Reinforcing agents
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 21/20 Wet strength agents
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 21/22 Agents rendering paper porous, absorbent or bulky
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 21/24 Surfactants
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 27/10 Packing paper packaging materials of special type or form B65D65/38
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 27/30 Multi-ply for surface covering D21H27/18; making on paper-making machines D21F9/00, D21F11/00

Abstract

A fibrous material, method for making the same, and articles comprising the same are shown and described. The fibrous material is a low density material that exhibits high strength properties. In embodiments, the fibrous material has a density of 0.15 g/cm³ or less and a tensile strength of 10 N/inch or greater. The fibrous material may be in the form of a paperboard and is suitable for use in a variety of applications including as a packaging material.

Claims

1. A composition forming a foamed structure, comprising:

(a) a fibrous material selected from a group including a cellulosic fiber, or a combination of the cellulosic fiber and a synthetic fiber;

(b) a fibrillated cellulose selected from a group including a microfibrillated cellulose, a nanofibrillated cellulose, or a combination thereof, a concentration of the fibrillated cellulose being up to about 10 wt %;

(c) a cross-linker, said cross-linker being a polyaminoamide epichlorohydrin, the concentration of the cross-linker being up to about 2.5 wt %;

(d) a surfactant;

(e) water;

wherein;

the foamed structure has a density less than about 0.15 g/cc;

the foamed structure that contains the fibrillated cellulose at the concentration in (b) above and does not contain the cross-linker has an average dry tensile strength less than the average dry tensile strength of the foamed structure that contains both the fibrillated cellulose at the concentration in (b) above and the cross-linker at the concentration in (c) above; and

the foamed structure that contains the cross-linker at the concentration in (c) above and does not contain the fibrillated cellulose has the average dry tensile strength less than the average dry tensile strength of the foamed structure that contains both the fibrillated cellulose at the concentration in (b) above and the cross-linker at the concentration in (c) above.

2. The composition of claim 1, wherein the microfibrillated cellulose or the nanofibrillated cellulose or the combination of the microfibrillated cellulose and the nanofibrillated cellulose is present in an amount greater than 3.5 wt % based on the dry weight of the fibrous material.

3. The composition of claim 1, wherein the microfibrillated cellulose or the nanofibrillated cellulose or the combination of the microfibrillated cellulose and the nanofibrillated cellulose is present in an amount of from about 3.5 wt % to about 10 wt % based on the dry weight of the fibrous material.

4. The composition of claim 1, wherein the microfibrillated cellulose or the nanofibrillated cellulose or the combination of the microfibrillated cellulose and the nanofibrillated cellulose is present in an amount of from about 4 wt % to about 9 wt % based on the weight of dry fibrous material.

5. The composition of claim 1, wherein the microfibrillated cellulose or the nanofibrillated cellulose or the combination of the microfibrillated cellulose and the nanofibrillated cellulose is present in an amount of from about 5 wt % to about 7.5 wt % based on the weight of dry fibrous material.

6. The composition of claim 1, wherein the polyaminoamide epichlorohydrin is present in an amount of from about 0.5 wt % to about 2.5 wt %, based on the dry weight of the fibrous material.

7. The composition of claim 1, wherein the polyaminoamide epichlorohydrin is present in an amount of from about 0.75 wt % to about 2 wt %, based on the dry weight of the fibrous material.

8. The composition of claim 1, wherein the polyaminoamide epichlorohydrin is present in an amount of from about 1 wt % to about 1.5 wt %, based on the dry weight of the fibrous material.

9. The composition of claim 6, wherein the fibrillated cellulose is present in an amount of from about 3.5 wt % to about 10 wt % based on the dry weight of the fibrous material, and the polyaminoamide epichlorohydrin is present in an amount of from about 0.5 wt % to about 2.5 wt %, based on the dry weight of the fibrous material.

10. The composition of claim 9, wherein the composition is formed from a slurry comprising from about 30% by volume to about 60% by volume of a gas entrained therein.

11. The composition of claim 10, wherein the gas is chosen from a group including air, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, or combination thereof.

12. The composition of claim 1, wherein the cross-linker forms bridges between the cellulosic fiber and the microfibrillated cellulose, or between the cellulosic fiber and the nanofibrillated cellulose, or between the microfibrillated cellulose and the nanofibrillated cellulose.

13. A foamed paperboard formed from the composition of claim 1 or 11.

14. The foamed paperboard of claim 13, wherein the foamed paperboard has the average dry tensile strength of 10 N/inch or greater.

15. An article comprising the foamed paperboard material of claim 14.

16. The article of claim 15 in the form of a container comprising three or more walls defining an opening between the walls, wherein at least one of the walls comprises the foamed paperboard material.

17. The article of claim 16, wherein the at least one of the walls comprising the foamed paperboard material is a multilayer structure, and at least one of the layers is formed from the foamed paperboard material.

18. The article of claim 16, wherein the at least one of the walls comprising the foamed paperboard material is a multilayer structure comprising (i) the foamed paperboard, and (ii) at least a second paperboard having a tensile strength of greater than 10 N/inch.

19. The article of article of claim 17, wherein the multilayer structure comprises (i) the foamed paperboard disposed between (ii) a first paperboard material having tensile strength greater than 10 N/inch and a second paperboard material having a tensile strength of greater than 10 N/inch.

20. The article of claim 17, wherein the multilayer structure comprises (i) a first foamed paperboard having tensile strength of greater than 10 N/inch having an upper surface and a lower surface, (ii) an upper layer disposed on the upper surface of the first foamed paperboard, and (iii) a lower layer disposed on the lower surface of the first foamed paperboard, wherein the upper and lower layers are formed from a second and a third foamed paperboard.

21. The article of claim 17, wherein the multilayer structure comprises (i) a first foamed paperboard having tensile strength of greater than 10 N/inch having an upper surface and a lower surface, (ii) an upper layer disposed on the upper surface of the first foamed paperboard, and (iii) a lower layer disposed on the lower surface of the first foamed paperboard, wherein the upper and lower layers are formed from films selected from a group including a cellulose based film, a synthetic material film, a metallized film, wherein the upper and the lower layers comprise one or more properties selected from a group including barrier to gas, barrier to water, insulation and heat reflection.