Synthesis, performance, and DFT insights of sustainable waste-derived S/N-doped alumina as an antiaging coating for paper sheets

Abstract

Abstract Using waste aluminum cans is a sustainable method created to attained alumina doped with sulfur and nitrogen as an antiaging coating for paper sheets. Acidic digestion, precipitation, calcination, and thiourea-assisted microwave doping were used to create the doped alumina, which produced nanoscale S/N-alumina particles. These particles were applied to paper sheets at different concentrations and immersion times after being mixed with a hydroxyethyl cellulose-based treatment. Mechanical testing, FTIR, SEM, flammability testing, and density functional theory calculations were used to assess the coated sheets both before and after accelerated thermal aging. Tensile strength, elongation, flame retardance, and resistance to thermal aging under accelerated conditions were all much improved by the coating, which performed best at 2% concentration and 15 min of immersion.