The groups of JIANG Yijun and WU Pingwei have crosslinked paper and regenerated cellulose to a composite (RCP) which showed unexpected mechanical strength at dry (tensile strength: 76 MPa, toughness at break: 7 MJ/m-1) and wet conditions (tensile strength: 13 MPa, toughness at break: 0.75 MJ/m-1), much higher than original paper. The composite had good barrier properties for water and oxygen, and exhibited shape retention when wetted with water.
China Bio news release, June 30, 2017