Barrier Property Tester for Advanced Nanostructured Polymer Composites

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Polymers account for the most-widely used packaging materials globally, owing to their capacity to behave as barrier materials against gases (eg. oxygen or water vapour). For example, food packaging materials often must be strong oxygen barriers, to prevent oxidation and spoiling of foods. Moreover, the barrier properties of polymers can be carefully controlled by an abundance of methods which involve the tuning of crystalline properties, the incorporation of micro/nanoparticle fillers, or the application of surface coatings. The vast number of techniques that can be used to tune a polymer's barrier properties necessitate a high-precision measurement device. However, most commercial barrier property testing apparatus is limited due to long sensor calibration times, limited temperature or humidity control, and poor sensitivity. These limit the testing throughput and prevent the measurement of ultra-high barrier materials, ultimately limiting the applicability of measurements. Hence, the PI and co-PI are requesting an ultra-high sensitivity MOCON OXTRAN 2/22 10x OXYGEN transmission rate testing system, for analysis of engineered materials. The MOCON OXTRAN 2/22 10x Model is one of the world's most sensitive advanced barrier testing devices, allowing for ultra-sensitive barrier property measurements in the range of 0.0005 to 200 cc/(m2.day), with a wide range of humidity and temperature control, rapid testing times, and automation capabilities. Currently, only the University of Guelph and Western University hold similar instruments at their research facilities, with poorer sensitivities. The applicants and their research groups will use the requested equipment for barrier property analysis in the following research programs: (1) Coextruded multi-nanolayer polymer films, (2) In situ nanofibrillated polymer composites, (3) Nanoparticle-reinforced polymer composites, and (4) fully bio-based and compostable polymer composites for sustainable packaging. These research programs represent advanced manufacturing processes capable of producing micro/nanostructured materials with enhanced barrier properties, that cannot be adequately quantified by any other means. The acquisition of this barrier property testing equipment will allow high-impact research that will help inform and optimize industrial processes. This research will be highly valuable in growing Canada's advanced manufacturing sector, and provide an avenue for Canada to increase its global impact and expertise in this field.