Influence of base sheet properties on barrier coating performance, TAPPI Journal November 2025

Application: Readers can use this study to better understand how base sheet design directly impacts the effi-ciency and performance of water-based barrier coatings. The findings help connect papermaking variables like bulk, caliper, and surface texture to measurable improvements in water, vapor, and oil resistance, supporting more data- driven substrate selection and process optimization across barrier-coating research and production.

Author: Dustin Burton, Alan Piwowar, and Greg Welsch

ABSTRACT: Paper packaging offers a sustainable alternative to standard plastic-based materials, particularly for food and beverage applications. With reduced fiber treatment options like fluorochemicals, uncoated base stock often provides little-to-no effective barrier against liquid water, oil/grease, or moisture transmission. Despite the lack of natural barrier performance, base sheet properties can significantly influence the efficiency of applied waterbased barrier coatings. In this study, various base stock properties, such as caliper, porosity, roughness, and ash content, are reported to influence the barrier performance of styrene-acrylic and a copolymer of styrene-butadiene/styrene-acrylate based barrier coatings. These findings will help paper and board producers design better, more cost-effective, purposebuilt substrates for barrier applications in the packaging industry.