Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a popular material used in the packaging industry. However, it is vulnerable to moisture, which can affect its performance and durability. Introducing hydrophobic substances, such as tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and hexadecyltrimethoxysilane (HDTMS), on the top layer of PVA can help maintain the excellent properties of PVA under high-humidity conditions. The low compatibility of hydrophobic materials with the hydrophilic layers allows them to aggregate more easily. To overcome these issues, we focused on the effects of particle size when increasing the coating suspension's dispersibility. A carbon quantum dot (CQD) suspension is an appropriate novel solvent for hydrophobic TEOS/HDTMS coating suspensions because its particles are small and light and exhibit good dispersibility. The CQD suspension formed a smooth hydrophobic coating on the TEOS/HDTMS materials. Furthermore, the uniformly coated PVA with the CQD suspension exhibited a water contact angle of 110°. The water droplets remained intact without being absorbed, confirming the effectiveness of the surface coating facilitated by CQDs. These results suggested that CQDs improved the dispersibility and enhanced the coating quality of TEOS/HDTMS on PVA. Enhancing the hydrophobicity of PVA is ideal for applications in packaging and other fields.
Keywords: carbon quantum dot; high-barrier packaging; hydrophobic coating; morphology; polyvinyl alcohol.