US Patent 7842162 - Nanocoating for enhanced strength paper

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7842162.html

This patent is from Louisiana Tech University foundation and teaches ways of improving electrostatic self-assembly of polymeric films using nanoparticles resulting in enhanced strength paper. Claim 1 reads:

A method for making paper with enhanced strength, comprising:

(a) forming a pulp of lignocellulose fibers;

(b) nanocoating said pulp of lignocellulose fibers by alternatively adsorbing onto the fibers multiple consecutively-applied layers of oppositely-charged nanoparticles and polymers, thereby making a modified pulp of multi-layer nanocoated lignocellulose fibers;

(c) draining the modified pulp to form one or more sheets of multi-layer nanocoated lignocellulose fibers;

(d) drying said formed one or more sheets of multi-layer nanocoated lignocellulose fibers; and

(e) processing the dried nanocoated sheet or sheets to make a finished paper having enhanced strength and surface properties.