Hydroxypropyl Cellulose Loaded with ZnO Nanoparticles for Enhancing the Mechanical Properties of Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus L.) Strips

Unfortunately, papyrus has not been sufficiently studied regarding improvement of the mechanical or optical properties, which degrade under the impact of aging factors over time. The aims of this research were studying the effects of hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) loaded with 0.25% of ZnO nanoparticles (NP) at different concentrations (1% and 2%) on papyrus sheet properties before and after aging. Various analyses were used, such as visual assessment by a universal serial bus (USB) digital microscope, mechanical properties, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, color change, and pH measurement. A dramatic increase in mechanical properties was observed after treatment. Besides, FTIR illustrated increasing of CH2 and OH stretching, which contribute to increasing the cellulose crystallinity index. There was no significant change in pH values after treatment or ageing. Slight changes of optical characteristics were observed for treated samples, after the artificial aging of the treated samples, the mechanical measurements showed that the values of tensile strength and elongation were close to the values of the standard sample, which may contribute to preventive protection of ZnO NP for treated samples from the artificial ageing.