A self-healing gas barrier coating is demonstrated, which is fabricated by alternate deposition of polyethyleneimine (PEI) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) from water using the layer-by-layer deposition process. This nanocoating, with high elastic modulus, high glass transition temperature and small free volume, has been shown to be super oxygen gas barrier. An 8-bilayer PEI/PAA multilayer assembly (~700 nm thick) exhibits an undetectable oxygen transmission rate (OTR &lt; 0.005 cc/(m<sup>2</sup> day atm)). This super barrier behavior is lost after moderate stretching due to its rigidity that leads to cracking. These cracks were completely healed after a 10 minute exposure to high humidity. The OTR of the multilayer nanocoating remained below detection after 10 stretching-healing cycles, which demonstrates the robustness of this behavior. This combination of high oxygen barrier and self-healing behavior could be very useful for a variety of packaging (food, electronics and pharmaceutical) and gas separation applications.

Polyelectrolyte multilayer nanocoating exhibiting super oxygen gas barrier and 100% self-healing efficiency

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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