Packaging is critically important to our society. Appropriate packaging protects its contents from the environment and, thus, inhibits physiochemical and/or biochemical deterioration. According to the World Packaging Organization, the packaging market is currently worth $600 billion and is expected to increase to $1 trillion by 2020. The common materials used for packaging include paper, plastic, glass, and metals. Of these materials, paper is by far the most environmentally friendly since it is derived from a renewable material (i.e. cellulose) and inherently biodegradable. Unfortunately, the hydrophilicity and porosity of paper create significant challenges for use as packaging materials. The objective of the project is to demonstrate the utility of a novel nanocomposite binder system for dispersion barrier coatings that can enable fully biodegradable paper-based packaging with excellent barrier properties. A key component of the nanocomposite binder system is a novel plant oil-based polymer developed by the project team. The unique chemical structure of the plant oil-based polymer will provide water repellency as well as nanoscale dispersion of a biodegradable nanomaterial that has been shown to provide excellent resistance to air permeation and grease. By conducting the project, the utility of the approach for generating high-value barrier coatings for paper-based packaging will have been demonstrated. In addition, the influence of compositional variables associated with both the plant oil-based polymer and the nanomaterial on coated paper barrier properties will have been determined. Further, the biodegradability of coated paper will have been characterized.
