5940.2:
Hybrid Nanosized Barrier Coatings on Polymer Substrates
Abstract
The objective is to further develop novel gas-barrier materials for food packaging, based on transparent nanosized hybrid organic/inorganic films (thickness 10 nm) on polymer substrates. By contrast with current brittle oxides, it is foreseen that these new materials will combine extremely high cohesive strength (with a corresponding crack onset strain larger than 5 %) and considerably improved barrier properties (oxygen transmission rates lower than 1 cc/(m2 day atm) under high rate production conditions (several 100 m/min). To reach these exceptional properties, three strategies will be followed: i) hybrid SiOxCy coatings, ii) sizing coatings based on highly functional organosilanes and, iii) gradient nanosized coatings. For each strategy, new materials will be made with systematic optimization of the nanometric, hybid organic/inorganic structure, to eventually achieve improved barrier performance, excellent adhesion and high mechanical durability.Anticipated applications of these new transparent and high barrier functional materials are quite broad, including small size packaging, long shelf life packaging and retort packaging. Foreseen segments are convenient food, food and hot vending. In addition, thin functional oxide films on polymer substrates are promising materials for a broad range of applications outside the food-packaging field, including pharmaceutical packaging, micro- and opto-electronic devices.