Correction: Amidated carboxymethylcellulose: synthesis, characterization and evaluation of their performance in paper coating application (Cellulose, (2025), 10.1007/s10570-025-06769-4)

This work reports the first example of the use of octylamine for the functionalization of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC-Oct) to produce highly hydrophobic and oil-resistant paper. CMC functionalization was carried out in water, in the presence of 4-(4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-4-methylmorpholinium chloride (DMTMM) as condensing agent. Different DMTMM/carboxymethylated glucose residues ( GlcCOONa) molar ratios (0.5, 1, 2.0) were employed to evaluate the efficiency of DMTMM in terms of degree of amidation, measured by 1H NMR ( DANMR) and Elemental Analysis ( DAEA). CMC-Oct with DANMR of 0.07, 0.14 and 0.24 were obtained and used to prepare films, which were characterised by ATR-FTIR, TGA/DSC, UV–Vis, colour, moisture uptake (MU%) and water vapor permeability (WVP). Best performing film (F2, DANMR = 0.24), was obtained with a DMTMM/GlcCOONa molar ratio of 2, giving a reduction in MU% and WVP of 64% and 60% compared to CMC. This formulation (2 wt% in water) was employed for up to three layers of paper coatings. Grammage, thickness, scanning electron microscopy images, contact angle, water vapor permeability (WVP), oil absorption ratio (OAR%), mechanical properties, and surface energy were evaluated and compared among uncoated paper, paper coated with unmodified CMC, and paper coated with CMC-Oct. Data show that three applications of CMC-Oct coating on paper significantly improved the hydrophobicity, barrier, mechanical properties and surface energy of the paper. Contact angles of up to 105 ± 8°, significant reduction in WVP and OAR% (up to 56% and 99.8%, respectively), and increase in EB% and TS (+ 32% and 47%, respectively), supporting its potentials as a sustainable alternative to fossilbased coatings for packaging applications.