Functional Chitosan–Calcium Carbonate Coatings for Enhancing Water and Fungal Resistance of Paper Materials

The objective of this study was to increase the water resistance of paper while providing fungal resistance using a bio-based coating made from chitosan. The water resistance was improved through the surface control of roughness using modified calcium carbonate particles. The higher the quantity of particles in the film-forming solution, the higher the surface hydrophobicity of the paper. The addition of particles was found to counterbalance the chitosan hydrophilicity through the control of the coatings' penetration in the paper bulk. As a consequence, the wetting time and liquid water resistance were enhanced. The antifungal activity of the film-forming solutions and coated paper was also investigated against the growth of Chaetomium globosum, which was selected as a model strain able to contaminate paper materials. The results reveal that the antifungal activity of chitosan was improved by a possible synergic effect with the bicarbonate ions from the mineral particles.