POLYMER-CLAY NANOCOMPOSITES: ONE WAY TO IMPROVE THE BARRIER PROPERTIES OF POLYMERS USED IN PACKAGING

摘要

The barrier properties of packaging material are a matter of great importance. In recent years much effort has been put to improve the properties of already existing materials. An interesting way to do this is to incorporate nanoscale particles into the polymer matrix. These reinforced plastics, known as nanocomposites, are formed by very thin platelets of surface-modified clay, dispersed in a thermoplastic or a reactive liquid resin. The research regarding polymer-clay nanocomposites started in the late 80's and has during the last five years become in focus of a lot of interest and research. Possible applications are multilayer film and extrusion-coated paperboard.