Nanomaterials in packaging

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Focus on nanotechnology in the packaging sector.

Nanotechnology is a key technology for future packaging innovation for improving the polymer properties of packaging to extend shelf-life; incorporating anti-bacterial functions; and making packaging interactive and counterfeit-proof.    

Nanomaterials allow for enhanced mechanical properties, thermal properties, diffusion barrier properties, electromagnetic properties or a combination of these properties. Polymer nanocompostites allow for packaging to be fabricated with less weight and bulk than current designs and potentially at a much lower cost (this is dependent on nanomaterials cost becoming competitive against incumbent packaging materials). Products are currently on the market from a number of companies including Honeywell, Bayer and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical.  The incorporation of nanoscale sensors and electronics on packaging materials is another avenue being explored that will potentially lead to active monitoring of the freshness and state of the product and display information on the package.   

Other nanomaterials applications under development in the packaging sector include freshness technology (nanofilms to preserve food by blocking oxygen ingress), counterfeit protection (invisible nanoscale taggants), radio frequency identification (RFID), time temperature indicators and smart inks.  RFID offers a wide range of potential benefits for product tracking and security including traceability, inventory management, labour saving costs, security and promotion of quality and safety. RFID tags incorporating nanoscale components are smaller than standard RFID tags, can be flexible and are printed on thin labels.

Anti-Counterfeiting

Industry segments for which counterfeits are a significant problem include: packaging, pharmaceuticals, airplane parts, auto parts, and designer clothing, among others. Nanoscale taggants have been developed that are undetectable to the naked eye, so they can be printed in completely transparent layers over other graphics.

Smart Packaging

Smart packaging responds to its environment either to regulate an external effect or to produce a visual readout of a change. Innovations under development exploiting nanomaterials include self-heating or cooling packaging, gas scavenging systems, enzyme immobilization systems, self-healing composites, oxygen sensors and stress and temperature sensors.

Green Packaging

Nanomaterials are impacting recyclable and renewable packaging. Examples of biopolymer based nanocomposites include NanoBioTer® and Degradal® (that incorporate nanoscale additives for controlled or accelerated compostability and biodegradability. Nanocellulose in particular shows great promise in this area.

Military

The US military is using nanoclay based nanocomposite films for long-life no-foil military food rations. The films keep military ready to eat meals edible for longer and provide greater protection in military conditions.  The military are also seeking to reduced the amount of solid waste associated with current foil packaging.

Gas Barrier

Nanomaterials such as nanoclays display improved filler-matrix interaction in polymer composites in food packaging. The nanomaterials act as physical barriers to the progress of gas molecules across the polymer by providing a “torturous path” to the progress of gas molecules thus preserving food for much longer.

Beer Bottles

Beer producers such as Miller and Hite are already using polymer nanocompostie materials in plastic beer bottles. Imperm® from Nanocor® Inc. is used in multi-layer PET bottles to minimise the loss of CO2 from the drink and the ingress of O2 into the bottle, thus keeping beverages fresher and extending shelf-life.

Anti-Microbial

As well as acting as a passive barrier, nanomaterials incorporated into packaging can also help in controlling microbial growth  in foodstuffs. Nanomaterials developed for this purpose include silver, titanium dioxide, chitosan and zinc oxide which exhibit high anti-bacterial activity at the nanoscale.

RFID

Printed electronics provide a promising potential pathway toward the realization of ultra low-cost RFID tags for item-level tracking of consumer goods, using printed nanoparticle patterns that are sintered at plastic-compatible temperatures.

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