Three-Layer Model for Drying of Coating Applied on Silicone-Coated Paper

Abstract Upon application of water based coating onto silicone-coated paper and during the subsequent drying process, the water permeates through the silicone layer into the paper substrate. At the same time, water evaporates from both the surface of the coated layer and throughout the paper layer. Initially, the evaporation rate from the wet coating surface may be dominant, but at longer times the bulk evaporation from the paper can dominate. Here a three-layer diffusion model for such a system is developed. Solutions obtained by Galerkin's method with finite element basis functions show that the hygroscopic nature of the paper leads to low drying rates at low moisture contents. Further, the model predicts that initially the coating dries to a moderately low residual moisture concentration faster than a coating applied on an impermeable substrate. However, at longer times, the predicted residual moisture of coatings applied on silicon-coated paper is higher than for a coating applied on an impermeable su...