Oriented polypropylene (OPP) film is widely used in various packaging applications. Various techniques such as vapor deposited SiOx and AlxOy and polymer-clay nanocomposite coatings have been applied to improve the gas barrier of OPP film, but these approaches lead to loss of flexibility and transparency. Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly provides a cost-effective alternative, with lower oxygen permeability and greater transparency. In this study, commercial OPP film was coated with polymer-clay multilayer gas barrier nanocoatings, which improved oxygen and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR). A 30-bilayer polyethylenimine (PEI)/vermiculite (VMT) nanocoating improved the OTR by more than 160X, rivaling most inorganic coatings. WVTR was simultaneously reduced by 42.5% relative to uncoated OPP. This water-based technology is both effective and scalable.

Super oxygen and improved water vapor barrier of polypropylene film with polyelectrolyte multilayer nanocoatings

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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