Effect of unipolar corona discharges on properties of pulp-and-paper materials

Abstract

The possibility of producing pulp-and-paper materials with improved performance characteristics via exposing paper to the field of a unipolar corona discharge has been explored. It has been shown that the improvement of the physicomechanical properties of a pulp-and-paper material under the action of an electric field is associated with the orientation of the structural elements of the material and the strengthening of the bonds between the mutually approaching cellulose fibers. The enhancement of the barrier characteristics of the paper exposed to a unipolar corona discharge is attributed to the formation of an energy barrier, which is overcome at the expense of the driving force of the spreading of the liquid over the surface of the material.