Effect of Papermaking Conditions on the Retention of Reversible Thermochromic Microcapsule in Paper

Reversible thermochromic paper able to resist counterfeiting was prepared by adding reversible thermochromic microcapsules (RTM) to a slurry of cellulosic fibers, a process that is difficult to imitate. However, the loss of RTM is one of the biggest problems that inhibits industrial use of this approach. So, the retention of RTM in pulp was investigated. The RTM was synthesized by in-situ polymerization, and its properties were characterized. It exhibited strong color contrast between cool and heated conditions, and such behavior could be used to achieve distinctive anticounterfeiting characteristics in the paper. The surface of each microcapsule was smooth, and there was no coherence between particles. The diameters of the microcapsules were mainly in the range 3.0 μm to 5.0 μm. Retention of RTM was closely related to beating degree and pulp composition; the higher the beating degree and hardwood pulp content, the higher the retention of RTM. On the other hand, the retention of RTM was influenced by filler and retention aid. Retention aid promoted retention of RTM to some degree; however, filler was not conductive to retention of RTM. Different addition sequences between RTM and filler or retention aid also influenced the retention of RTM.