A variety of functional thin films can be produced using the layer-by-layer assembly technique. In this work, assemblies of anionic clay and cationic polymer were studied with regard to film growth and gas barrier properties. A simple, yet flexible robotic dipping system, for the preparation of these thin films, was built. The robot alternately dips a substrate into aqueous mixtures with rinsing and drying in between. Thin films of sodium montmorillonite clay and cationic polymer were grown and studied on poly(ethylene terephthalate) film or a silicon wafer. After 30 clay polymer bilayers were deposited, the resulting transparent film had an oxygen transmission rate (OTR) below 0.005 cm3/m2/day/atm. This low OTR, which is unprecedented for a clay-filled polymer composite, is believed to be due to a ?brick wall? nanostructure comprised of completely exfoliated clay bricks in polymeric ?mortar?. The growth of polymer and clay assemblies is then shown to be controlled by altering the pH of polyethylenimine (PEI). Growth, oxygen permeability, and mechanical behavior of clay-PEI assemblies were studied as a function of pH in an effort to tailor the behavior of these thin films. Thicker deposition at high pH resulted in reduced oxygen permeability and lower modulus, which highlights the tailorability of this system.

Oxygen barrier coatings have the potential to greatly extend the lifetime of certain food products by incorporating them into existing food packaging. Present technologies face definite challenges of maintaining high performance, while attaining simple and inexpensive preparation methods. The oxygen barrier effect obtained with these coatings is also susceptible to a plasticization effect when exposed to high humidity, since water vapor molecules are readily soluble in typically hydrophilic resins. In this work, we demonstrate a 1 – 2 micron thick oxygen barrier coating, prepared on a 12 micron poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrate, that has oxygen transmission rates as low as 1.44 cc m-2 day-1 under standard conditions and can maintain similar oxygen barrier performance at high humidity. This degree of oxygen barrier meets the standard of 1 – 10 cc m-2 day-1 established for food packaging applications. The coating is prepared through use of sol-gel chemistry between poly(vinyl alcohol) and vinyltrimethoxsilane molecules, which form a strong network resin through hydrolysis and condensation reactions. The formulation of these oxygen barrier coatings allows for variability of solids percentage and viscosity without significant change in performance. The ability to scale up the preparation of these coated films was tested successfully on an industrial flexographic printing press.

The objective of my work was to develop HDPE clay nanocomposites for packaging with superior barrier (gas and water) properties by economical processing technique. This work also represents a comparative study of thermoplastic nanocomposites for packaging based on linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE) and Nylon12. In this study properties and processing of a series of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE) and Nylon 12 nanocomposites based on Na-MMT clay and two different aspect ratio grades of kaolinite clay are discussed.