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New development of nanotechnology combustion supporting packaging technology (Part 2)

nanocomposite nylon is used as the barrier layer of multi-layer PET bottles. Because the melting point temperature of nylon exceeds 50 ℃, its barrier property is higher - almost two to three times higher than that of the traditional ethylene ethanol barrier layer

studies have shown that the oxygen transport rate (OTR) of nanocomposite nylon 6 is almost four times lower than that of materials without nylon 6 filling. Take aegis (TM) ox barrier nylon resin designed by Honeywell for multi-layer bottles as an example. When OTR is reduced hundreds of times, the impact test of safety belt is carried out, but the clay layer plays the role of trap to retain the active deoxidizer in the polymer. Compared with glass bottles, aegis ox's active deoxidizer can ensure the shelf life of beer to reach 6-12 months. Aegis, a brewery in Asia, has been used in the manufacture of 3-layer, 1.6L bottles

for the global resource regeneration problem, nanocomposites can help reduce packaging waste and promote the recycling of materials

iperm (R) produced by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical can produce similar results to aegis when added to containers with multilayer pet structure. Imperm's oxygen barrier is twice as high as Mitsubishi's standard nylon-mxd6 resin, and its carbon dioxide barrier is also four times higher than nylon-mxd6. Moreover, when used in PET bottles, there is no need for an adhesive layer, so it is easy to recycle. When used in a 16 Ounce beer bottle, imperm can guarantee its shelf life of almost 6 months

after using nanotechnology, the tensile strength test results of materials can be set arbitrarily: the maximum force value, elongation, tensile modulus and thermal deformation temperature (HDT) characteristics have been generally improved. One example is cloisite (R), a nanocomposite nylon produced by Southern clay products, which contains 15% clay. After adding nano clay, the tensile strength of nylon increased by 23%, the tensile modulus increased by 69%, and the flexural modulus was 56%. In addition, HDT increased by 68%. The variation of mechanical properties is directly related to the number of nano fillers used in specific nanocomposites. For example, adding 2% nano clay to nanocomposite nylon 6 will improve the tensile strength by 98%. The same is true of HDT and flexural modulus. The mechanical properties of nanocomposite nylon produced by other companies are basically the same as cloisite

nano materials reduce resource waste

due to the development of the global flexible packaging market, we can see that more and more professional products use films. Nanocomposites can easily solve the problems caused by the transition from metal or glass packaging to flexible bags or hard plastics. Many current packaging needs multi-layer structure, which makes it impossible to recycle, but in the face of global resource regeneration problems, nanocomposites can help reduce packaging waste and promote the recycling of materials. For the whole world, waste reduction is a very urgent problem. The military application of nanocomposites in the United States is a good example of how nanomaterials can reduce their impact on the environment

since 2002, we have seen many buyers. Since then, nadic Institute has carried out a lot of research on the nano polymer structure without metal foil in order to improve the packaging of military rations and fast food (MRes). The purpose of the study is to reduce the waste of soldiers with the latest packaging, and to reduce costs by saving materials. Every year, 14177 tons of MRE packaging waste will be generated due to the existence of metal foil in the packaging. Although the foil is sensitive to pinholes, it will make the packaging bag unable to be recycled. A unit of army rations can produce 1.04 pounds of waste, while the navy can produce 3.8 pounds of solid waste

now, MRE packaging consisting of three to four layers of cooking bags and a layer of aluminum foil cannot meet the strict requirements of the military for packaging. MRE packaging must be airdropped and its shelf life must reach at least three years at 80 ° C and six months at 100 ° C. Through the use of high barrier nanocomposites, nadic Research Institute has extended the shelf life of food and provided packaging products with better protective properties for military food rationing

the dispensing bag made of nanocomposites has not yet entered the production stage, but according to nadic's report, it has now entered the final stage of research and will soon be put into practical application. Nadic's researchers are also testing a large number of different materials, including low-density PE, nylon, EVOH and other materials, to find substances that have good miscibility with polymers and nano fillers in different extrusion processes, such as injection molded films, multilayer films, blow molded films, single screw and twin screw extruded films

due to the stricter requirements of the army, the technology developed by nadic is likely to be applied to commercial food packaging to increase the shelf life of food.

according to the investigation of the U.S. Army, the cost of nanocomposites in the future is expected to be 10% - 30% lower than that of current packaging materials. The expected cost savings come from the reduction of material costs, the improvement of production capacity with the increasing popularity of automation, and the reduction of waste disposal costs. The overall cost savings are estimated to be between 1million and 3million

problems to be solved

although the prospect of nanocomposites is bright, there will still be some problems in the popular commercial application of these polymers. According to the Research Report of the University of South Carolina, there are four main problems surrounding the production and use of this Nanocomposite: spalling, positioning, compatibility and repolymerization

when the clay fillers are peeled off, they will become very thin - 1 nm, but very wide - 500 nm, so as to achieve the rated optical gas permeability without affecting the optical quality. The positioning of particles also has an impact on the success of the production of nanocomposites. Nanoparticles need to be completely dispersed in the polymer to be parallel to the surface of the material. The position of such particles creates the most tortuous path for the passage of gas in the polymer. For manufacturers, the problem of correct positioning of particles has not been completely solved

similarly, depending on the interaction between Nano fillers and polymer substrates, their compatibility may be problematic. Some nano fillers need to be carefully prepared so that they can perfectly match the substrate. Another problem that needs to be paid attention to is that in the process of treatment, when the particles gather together into a cluster, there is also the possibility of re polymerization. If this phenomenon occurs, it will lead to the failure of nano material production

broad application prospects

it is estimated that 5 million pounds of nanocomposites will be used in soft and hard packaging in the food and beverage industry by 2009. By 2011, consumption will increase to about 100million pounds. It is estimated that by 2006, beer will become the largest consumer industry of nanocomposites, reaching 3million pounds. By 2011, carbonated soft drink bottles may exceed beer, which is expected to reach 50million pounds

polymer nanocomposites are the future of the global packaging industry. Once the production and material costs are reduced, all companies will use this technology to increase the stability and freshness of products on the premise of cost savings, and provide high-quality products to customers through the supply chain. The advantages of nanocomposites go far beyond the low cost and the reduction of concerns brought to people. If this technology is improved over time, the production process will become more developed. The research also goes deep into other types of nano fillers in order to produce more new nanocomposites with different structures and better properties, and promote and then completely lock the black knob nanocomposites into more potential packaging applications

source: packaging Expo