Surface composition of grafted thermomechanical pulp through XPS measurement

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop an analytical method to quantify the nitrogen present at the surface of paper by using X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy (XPS). A sample of softwood thermomechanical pulp (TMP) was treated with a cationic starch containing primary amines, while another one was treated with a cationic polymer containing quaternary amines. We also grafted monomers containing a quaternary amine to the fiber. Sheets were prepared and analyzed by XPS. The technique used allowed us to identify the type of amine and to give a semi-quantitative evaluation.