EVERWALL
Development of barrier layers for food packaging. The objective is to modify the surface of (conventional and filled) polymer films to obtain good barrier properties against the diffusion of water and oxygen.
The EVERWALL project has enabled Materia Nova to acquire the skills necessary for the in-line plasma treatment of biosourced polymer films. Metal, oxide and nitride type diffusion barriers are being developed with convincing results. The impermeability (to oxygen, water vapour but also to the maintenance of the protective atmosphere inside the food packaging) of the treated polymers is increased by a factor of 20 and the in-line deposition technique is now mastered. In addition to the initial food applications, other direct prospects are already opening up for the consortium. Thus, contacts have been established with companies such as Microtherm, Mactac or Hologramm where the antistatic surface aspect plays an important role.
Objectives and missions of Materia Nova
Within the consortium, Materia Nova has carried out the development of thin films by vacuum plasma and chemical characterization.