Issue 32, 2012

Improving oxygen barrier and reducing moisture sensitivity of weak polyelectrolyte multilayer thin films with crosslinking

Abstract

Thin films of polyethylenimine (PEI) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), deposited using layer-by-layer assembly, were studied to understand the influence of various crosslinking methods on their oxygen and water vapor barrier. Glutaraldehyde (GA), 1-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]-3-ethylcarbodiimide methiodide (EDC) and thermal crosslinking were evaluated with respect to film thickness and barrier properties. The thickness of an 8 bilayer PEI/PAA assembly decreased from 640 to 551 nm after crosslinking with a 0.1 M aqueous GA solution and obtained an oxygen permeability one order of magnitude better than an SiOx thin film (<5.9 × 10−21 cm3 cm cm¬2 s¬1 Pa¬1) This same crosslinking treatment reduced the oxygen transmission rate (OTR), measured at 23 °C and 100% RH, from 0.61 to 0.09 (cm3 m−2 day¬1). Increasing the number of bilayers and heating time with thermal crosslinking also reduces the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR). These nanocoatings are a promising alternative to currently used barrier layers for flexible electronics and food packaging.

Graphical abstract: Improving oxygen barrier and reducing moisture sensitivity of weak polyelectrolyte multilayer thin films with crosslinking

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
16 Aug 2012
Accepted
10 Oct 2012
First published
11 Oct 2012

RSC Adv., 2012,2, 12355-12363

Improving oxygen barrier and reducing moisture sensitivity of weak polyelectrolyte multilayer thin films with crosslinking

Y. Yang, L. Bolling, M. Haile and J. C. Grunlan, RSC Adv., 2012, 2, 12355 DOI: 10.1039/C2RA21845C

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