Fabrication of superhydrophobic and degradable cellulose paper materials for straw application

Cellulose-based materials are considered to be green and sustainable substitutes for plastics. However, their hydrophilicity and water instability limit further applications. Herein, ethyl cellulose (EC) and hydrophobic SiO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) were employed to prepare hydrophobic SiO 2 @EC/P materials by dipping-spraying method. A series of cellulosic papers with various hydrophobicity (water contact angle (WCA) from about 90° to 166°, and contact angle hysteresis (CAH) less than 5°) were fabricated by varying the amount of SiO 2 NPs. The dry and wet strength of the modified paper increased by 72.3% and 916.7%, respectively. Soaking test shows that the SiO 2 @EC/P straws remain intact after being placed in different beverages and water at the temperature of 0 to 90 °C for 2 h. Furthermore, these straws can be completely degraded after being buried into the soil for 200 days. Therefore, SiO 2 @EC/P materials are promising alternative materials for plastic straws. The potential application of SiO 2 @EC/P materials would effectively alleviate the ‘white pollution’ problem. Graphical abstract