Novel packaging materials using functional thin films and coatings

The current trend in packaging materials heads towards green chemistry using sustainable and renewable materials. A number of novel packaging coatings have been recently developed on paper, paperboard or bio-based plastic films in order to produce special and enhanced product properties as well as to improve the competitiveness of traditional industries such as forest and plastic. Especially new type of thin coating technologies such as atomic-layer-deposition (ALD) and sol-gel hybrid coatings have been tested by VTT for packaging purposes. The thin coatings have been applied, for example, on polylactic acid (PLA) films and coated paper and paperboard to improve the moisture, gas and grease barrier performance. In addition to new coating technologies VTT has recently developed coating processes for lab- and pilot-scale roll-to-roll processes. Thin hybrid coatings as well as many types of biopolymer based coatings and free-standing films have been produced. Coatings can be applied by flexo, soft bar, foam, curtain and spray coating methods, including optional pre-treatment by plasma or corona as well and post-treatment/curing by cold or hot air drying, IR-drying or UV-curing.