Barrier Coating Porous Substrate Intermediate Layer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current barrier materials, such as plastics and aluminium foil, pose environmental sustainability concerns and recycling challenges, while alternative materials without plastics or foil often exhibit poor barrier performance due to the porosity of substrates like paper and card.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a thin intermediate layer to fill pores on a porous substrate, followed by a non-polymer barrier layer, such as metal or metal oxide, to enhance barrier performance and reduce material thickness, with the option of using biodegradable materials like biopolymers and natural waxes for sustainability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a thick layer of aluminium foil is used to provide barrier properties, then barrier performance is improved, but recyclability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the thickness parameter of the aluminium layer from conventional thick foil (5-50 µm) to an ultra-thin layer (1-100 nm), which maintains barrier performance while dramatically improving recyclability. This parameter change allows the aluminium to serve its barrier function without creating recycling difficulties.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite structure consisting of a porous substrate (paper, card, or biopolymer) combined with an ultra-thin aluminium or metal oxide layer. This composite material achieves effective barrier properties through the synergistic combination of the substrate's structural integrity and the thin metal layer's barrier characteristics, while enabling recyclability that neither component achieves alone.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If porous substrates like paper or card are used to reduce plastic content, then environmental sustainability is improved, but barrier performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by depositing the ultra-thin aluminium or metal oxide layer specifically on the porous substrate surface where barrier properties are needed. The substrate maintains its porous structure for sustainability, while the localized metal coating provides the necessary barrier performance against oxygen and moisture ingress.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite material system combining a sustainable porous substrate (paper, card, or biopolymer) with an ultra-thin barrier layer of aluminium or metal oxide. This composite achieves both environmental sustainability through the natural substrate and effective barrier performance through the metal coating, resolving the contradiction between the two requirements.
3Length of stationary object
If an ultra-thin barrier layer is applied directly to a porous substrate, then material thickness is reduced, but coating effectiveness deteriorates due to large pore sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by treating the porous substrate surface before applying the ultra-thin barrier layer. This pre-treatment modifies the substrate surface properties to improve wetting and adhesion, ensuring that the subsequent ultra-thin coating is applied effectively and uniformly, achieving both reduced thickness and high coating effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an intermediary layer or surface treatment between the porous substrate and the ultra-thin barrier layer. This intermediary modifies the interface properties, improving the bonding and coverage of the thin coating on the porous surface, thereby enabling effective coating at reduced thickness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach improves barrier performance by reducing pore size and material thickness, making the barrier material recyclable, biodegradable, and compostable, while maintaining effective gas and moisture barrier properties.
Implementation Method 1
coating a surface of the substrate with a thin intermediate layer, said intermediate layer filling pores at the surface of the substrate
Implementation Method 2
coating the intermediate layer with a non-polymer barrier layer. The non-polymer may be one of: a metal, metal oxide, metal nitride, metal sulphide, carbon based material, silicon, silicon oxide (SiOx), silicon nitride
Implementation Method 3
The surface activation may be performed using a plasma. The plasma may substantially comprise oxygen or air.
Implementation Method 4
Alternatively, the surface activation maybe performed using a corona discharge.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of barrier coating a porous substrate, the method comprising: coating a surface of the substrate with an intermediate layer, said intermediate layer filling pores at the surface of the substrate; and coating the intermediate layer with a non-polymer barrier layer.