FOROB II

BAVARIAN JOINT RESEARCH PROGRAM FOR SURFACE TECHNOLOGY

II.6 Development of a high barrier composite for flexible packagings

Field of work:

The technique of vacuum ribbon vapourisation of polymeric foils, particularly the metallisation (vapourisation with aluminium) conquered a big market during the last 50 years. Especially in the domain of packaging the merits of economic and nonpolluting methods can be met at the recoverable high processing speed, the low amounts of material necessary (layer thickness: 20-100 nm) and the attainable barrier properties of the flexible composites facing gases, vapours and aromas. Nevertheless the attainable properties, particularly after mechanical stressing still are not sufficient in many cases in the area of food and pharmaceutical packaging, so that expendable composites such as aluminium foil (thickness: 3-20 µm) still have to be used here. These composites are signified by difficult processing; their production is expensive, they exhibit exacerbated or unfeasible recycling of material and are ecologically less advantageous in total.

Pretests showed that the barrier effect of SiOx vapour-plated carrier foils before and after mechanical stressing can be enhanced significantly by concealing with inorganic-organic hybrid polymers (ORMOCER®). This effect shall be verified, optimized and brought to technical maturity within the planned research enterprise as well for aluminium-coated foils. The industrial partner will stand by the coated foils and conceal them on its own plants. The ISC will develop a suitable ORMOCER®-formulation, the ILV will examin its processing behaviour as well as the barrier function and ensure a food-law admission.