USA have developed a method using nanotechnology for making plastic films with high gas barriers. A research team has found that squeezing thin layers of polyethylene oxide (PEO) between layers of polyethylene co-acrylic acid makes the PEO form large crystalline plates that are almost impermeable to gas transmission.
Scientists at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, USA have developed a method using nanotechnology for making plastic films with high gas barriers. A research team has found that squeezing thin layers of polyethylene oxide (PEO) between layers of polyethylene co-acrylic acid makes the PEO form large crystalline plates that are almost impermeable to gas transmission.
The structure is formed by a modified coextrusion process where the extruded molten polymer is divided into a number of layers before it is recombined. The larger the number of layers, the more impermeable the film will be and about 1,000 layers have been incorporated into a single film that is 25 microns thick. The process still has to be developed as a cost-effective industrial application but is reported to have promise as a potential future technology.
