PACKAGING FILMS WITH ALTERNATING INDIVIDUAL LAYERS OF GLASS AND PLASTIC

Abstract

The present invention is directed to packaging films comprising a coextruded film having alternating individual layers of glass and plastic. These packaging films may be used for flexible food and pharmaceutical packaging. These packaging films provide excellent oxygen and moisture barrier protection while having superior flexibility.

Claims

1. A multilayer packaging film comprising: a coextruded film comprising alternating layers of glass and plastic, wherein the number of glass layers is at least ten and the number of plastic layers is at least ten, wherein the multilayer packaging film has a total thickness within a range from 10 μm to 250 μm, wherein the multilayer packaging film has a minimum bend radius of less than 10 mm, wherein the glass is a tin fluorophosphate glass having a glass transition temperature, T.sub.g of less than 200° C., wherein the multilayer packaging film has a water vapor transmission rate within a range from 0 to 1 g/m.sup.2/24 hour at 38° C. and 90% relative humidity, and wherein the multilayer packaging film has an oxygen transmission rate within a range from 0 to 1 cm.sup.3/m.sup.2/24 hour at 23° C. and 0% relative humidity.

2. The multilayer packaging film of claim 1, wherein the glass has a glass transition temperature, T.sub.g of less than 150° C.

3. The multilayer packaging film of claim 1, wherein the plastic comprises aliphatic and aromatic polyamides, polyethers, polyimides, aliphatic and aromatic polyesters, cyclic olefin copolymers, polyolefin homopolymers and copolymers, high density polyethylenes, anhydride-modified polyethylenes, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers, polypropylenes, polyamideimides, polycarbonates, polyetheretherketones, polyetherimides, polyethersulphones, polymethyl methacrylates, polyoxymethylenes, polyphenylene sulphides, polystyrenes, unplasticized polyvinyl chlorides, and blends thereof.

4. The multilayer packaging film of claim 1, further comprising a sealant layer.

5. The multilayer packaging film of claim 1, further comprising an abuse layer.

6. The multilayer packaging film of claim 1, wherein the tin fluorophosphate glass comprises on an elemental basis tin in a mole percentage within a range from 12.0 to 17.1.

7. The multilayer packaging film of claim 1, wherein the tin fluorophosphate glass comprises on an elemental basis fluorine in a mole percentage within a range from 11.2 to 24.3.

8. The multilayer packaging film of claim 1, wherein the tin fluorophosphate glass comprises on an elemental basis phosphorous in a mole percentage within a range from 12.1 to 19.6.

9. The multilayer packaging film of claim 1, wherein the tin fluorophosphate glass comprises on an elemental basis oxygen in a mole percentage within a range from 43.3 to 61.1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] As used herein, the terms “comprises”, “comprising” and grammatical variations thereof are to be taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.

[0022] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings, in which:

[0023] FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating the viscosity-shear rate curves of a tin fluorophosphate glass, “SnF Glass” and a glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate copolymer, SKYGREEN® PETG SK2008.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a conceptual drawing illustrating general embodiments of the multilayered packaging films comprising a coextruded film having alternating individual layers of glass and plastic.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] The multilayered packaging films now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, these inventions may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a conceptual drawing illustrating general embodiments of multilayer packaging film 10 comprising a coextruded film having alternating individual layers of glass and plastic. In this drawing, layers designated as “A” represent a heat sealing material, layers designated as “B” represent a polymer, and layers designated as “C” represent a glass. Reference “n” represents a multiplier of an eight-layer set of alternating individual layers of glass and plastic. This drawing represents different examples that were fabricated with the total number of alternating individual layers of glass and plastic of the coextruded film varying between 17, 65 and 257 when n=2, 8 and 32, respectively.

EXAMPLES

[0027] Examples 1-10 of multilayer packaging films were prepared having structures illustrated in FIG. 2. A batch material of tin fluorophosphate glass was prepared having a molar composition of 20% SnO+50% SnF.sub.2+30% NH.sub.4H.sub.2PO.sub.4 by melting in the carbon crucible at 500° C. in air in an electric furnace for 15 minutes, casting the molten composition onto aluminum and cooling to room temperature. The cooled sintered glass composition was ground to a particle size of approximately 3 mm. This glass composition is denoted by reference “Layer C” and had, on an elemental basis, tin in a mole percentage within a range from 15.4 to 17.1, fluorine in a mole percentage within a range from 19.6 to 24.3, phosphorus in a mole percentage within a range from 14.2 to 16.6, and oxygen in a mole percentage within a range from 43.3 to 56. A first plastic resin denoted as “Layer B” was introduced into a first extruder and heated to a temperature sufficient to plasticize the resin to produce a first plastic flow stream. Generally this temperature was above a melting point of the crystalline or semi-crystalline plastic resin, and/or at or above the glass transition temperature for an amorphous plastic resin. Next, the glass composition described above as “Layer C” was introduced into a second extruder and heated to above its glass transition temperature to produce a glass flow stream. The first plastic and glass flow streams were sent through a feed-block manifold to produce a vertically stacked flow stream of alternating layers of plastic and glass having a three-layer sequence of plastic/glass/plastic or “Layer B/Layer C/Layer B”. The feed-block manifold was manipulated to multiply this three-layer sequence to produce multiple three-layered vertically stacked flow streams. For example, doubling of a three-layer sequence can produce a five-layer flow stream having the sequence of plastic/glass/plastic/glass/plastic or “Layer B/Layer C/Layer B/Layer C/Layer B” while a doubling of the five-layer sequence can produce a nine-layer sequence of plastic/glass/plastic/glass/plastic/glass/plastic/glass/plastic or “Layer B/Layer C/Layer B/Layer C/Layer B/Layer C/Layer B/Layer C/Layer B”. While the feed-block manifold multiplied the three-layer plastic/glass/plastic flow stream, a second plastic resin denoted as “Layer A” was introduced into a third extruder. This second plastic resin was heated to a temperature sufficient to plasticize the resin to produce a second plastic flow stream which entered the feed-block manifold. The flow streams of the multiplied three-layered sequence of plastic and glass (Layer B/Layer C/Layer B), and that for Layer A then exited simultaneously through an extrusion slot die head to produce the embodiments depicted in FIG. 2. The construction of some embodiments of the packaging films are reported below in TABLE 1. The oxygen and moisture permeability for some of these packaging films were measured and also reported below in TABLE 1.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Total Total Oxygen Moisture Vapor # of Thickness Transmission Transmission Layer Layer Layer Glass/ Film Rate Rate Ex. “A” “B” “C” n Plastic (micron) (cm.sup.3/m.sup.2/24 h) (grams/m.sup.2/24 h) 1 A B1 C 2 17 50 0.90 0.32 2 A B1 C 2 17 25 — — 3 A B1 C 8 65 50 0.12 0.70 4 A B1 C 8 65 25 0.05 0.22 5 A B1 C 32 257 50 — — 6 A B2 C 2 17 25 — — 7 A B2 C 8 65 50 0.15 0.09 8 A B2 C 8 65 25 — — 9 A B3 C 32 257 50 — — 10 A B4 C 32 257 50 — — A = a low density polyethylene, DOW LDPE 640I (The Dow Chemical Company, Midland MI) having a density of 0.922 g/cm.sup.3, and a melt flow rate of 2.0 g/10 min. B1 = a glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate copolymer, SKYGREEN ® PETG SK2008 (SK Chemicals, Pangyo, Korea) having a glass transition temperature of 80° C. B2 = a polyamide, nylon 6, BASF Ultramid ® B36 (BASF Corporation, Wyandotte, MI) having a density of 1.13 g/cm.sup.3 and a melting temperature of 220° C. B3 = a thermoplastic polyurethane, Elastollan ® WY1158 (BASF Corporation, Wyandotte, MI). B4 = an ethylene acrylic acid copolymer, PRIMACOR ™ 1430 (The Dow Chemical Company, Midland MI) having a density of 0.930 g/cm.sup.3, and a melt flow rate of 5.0 g/10 min (190° C./2.16 kg).

[0028] The above description and examples illustrate certain embodiments of the present invention and are not to be interpreted as limiting. Selection of particular embodiments, combinations thereof, modifications, and adaptations of the various embodiments, conditions and parameters normally encountered in the art will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are deemed to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention.