Recent advancements in additives used in

plastic packaging...

Name - Sayali Pingale.

Batch - 34th
Roll no - PG/M/18A/030
 Contents

● Plastic in everyday life

● Definition
● Role of additives
● Classification
● Fillers
● Reinforcements
● Advancements in additives
● Applications in packaging
● Conclusion
Plastic in everyday life

Sports
Electronics and telecommunication
Pharmaceutical
 What are additives?

❏ Additives are added to

increase the functionality of
polymers.
❏ Additives are complex blend of
materials mixed with essential
polymer to attend certain
desired properties.
 Role of additives in packaging

1. Makes them safer

2. Obtain better impact resistance
3. Make plastics look good
4. Reduce cost
5. Increase or decrease hardness
6. Improve processing conditions
7. Increase flame resistance.
 Types of additives
There are two types of additives usually used for the plastic
additives.
Additives

Fillers Reinforcement
 Fillers
Fillers are additives mixed with a base resin to change the properties
of that base resin.
1. Colourants
2. Plasticizers
3. Heat Stabilizers
4. Anti oxidants
5. Lubricants
6. UV light absorbers
7. Fire retardants
8. Anti static agents
 Colorants
● Tiny particles used to create a particular colour.
● 2 types of colorants are used for plastics:
1. Dyes (completely soluble)
2. Pigments (form dispersion)
e.g. Benzidine yellow, Alumina hydrate, iron oxide.
 Plasticizers
● Used to make plastics softer and more flexible.
● Act as internal lubricant
e.g phthalates, epoxies and polyesters.

Heat Stabilizers
● Used to inhibit the degradation of the plastic material due to high
temperature.
● Available in solid and liquid form
e.g. lead, cadmium, tin and salts.
 Anti oxidants
● Help prevent thermal oxidation reactions.
● Used to minimize the deterioration when exposed to heat, light,
or various chemicals.

e.g. phenols, arylamines, phosphites, and various sulfur compounds.

Lubricants
● Hot processing of polymers need lubricants either internally or
externally.

e.g. butyl stearate, octyl stearate, stearic acid

 UV light absorbers
● UV light 280-400 nm polymers unstable
● Used to inhibit the reactions which cause undesirable chemical
degradation from exposure to UV light.
● e.g Black (in any form), benzophenones and benzotriazoles.
 Fire retardants
● To prevent ignition or spread of fire in plastic material.
● Polymers being organic compounds burn or decompose on exposure
to fire.

e.g. zinc borate, chlorinated paraffins

 Anti static agent
● Plastics are generally insulating and so have the capacity to build
up static charges on the surface which greatly disturb processing
procedures.
● Antistatic agents are used to prevent the build up of static
electric charge.

e.g. butyl stearate, tri-ethanol-amine.

 Reinforcements
Reinforcements are added for increasing only the strength of the
base resin.

1. Bio Stabilisers: To prevent deterioration of plastic materials

where part of the material might be susceptible to microbiological
attack.
2. Flowing agents: To improve injection flow and moldability.
3. Impact modifiers: To absorb shocks and resist impact without
cracking.
 Beer in PET bottles
● PET has excellent clarity, gloss,

easy fabrication, good toughness and

impact resistance.
● Major disadvantage: lesser oxygen tolerance

level.
● Resorcinol derivatives(RDOA,HER,RDGE) are
used as additives in barrier polymer
development.
● Three technologies to develop beer plastic containers: monolayer,
multi-layer and barrier-coated.
● Miller, Heineken, Bass, Carlton United and Karlsberg have
successfully bottled beer in plastic containers.
● This bottle contains five layers of a polyamide (Nylon MXD6)
barrier layer less than 5 wt% of the container.
● Because of low-barrier PET, the expected shelf life is about
three months.
● By aiding Resorcinol derivatives, the PET bottles can deliver 6-9
months or more shelf life for beer.
Comparison
 Additives in biopolymers
● Sustainability is the buzz-word
throughout the packaging industry.
● Biopolymers enhances opportunities
for additives to increase the
functionality of biopolymers.
● Biopolymers used in packaging include
PLA, starch-based polymers and
others with polyhydroxyalkanoates
are being commercialized.
Some of the USA companies like NatureWorks developed additives
specifically for improving processing and properties of biopolymers.

● Processing aids: Biomax Strong

● Impact modifiers: BPM-500, Mater-Bi® nanostarches
● Antistat, slip, antiblock, UV protection: Cesa®-bloc antiblock
● Heat resistant additives: cellulose fibres, nucleating agents,
Vibatan PLA Blue Antiox 97838 masterbatch
● Optical brightener: Sukano®dc S511
● Melt strength modifiers: Cesa®-Extend
 Polymer Nanocomposites
● PNCs are polymers that have been
reinforced with small quantities (<5% by
weight) of nanosized particles
(clays,CNTs) having high aspect ratios.
● Polymer nanocomposites can be classified
into three types

(i) intercalated nanocomposites

(ii) flocculated nanocomposites

(iii) exfoliated nanocomposites

 Modified properties of polymer
● Tensile strength

The tensile strength of polyamide-6 was increased by 55% and the modulus
by 90% with the addition of only 4 wt% of delaminated clay.

● Compressive strength

The compressive yield strength of glassy epoxy-clay nanocomposites and the

modulus of elasticity were increased by 17 and 27%, respectively, with a clay
loading of 10wt%.

● Fracture

A study performed on polyamide 6-clay nanocomposites showed that the

fracture energy Gc was lowered more than 10 times with the addition of only
4 wt% of delaminated clay.
● Thermal stability

Toyota researchers also showed that the heat distortion temperature

of their nanocomposites was 87C higher than that of unfilled polyamide
6.This property was combined with a reduction in the thermal
expansion coefficient up to 45%.

● Gas barrier properties

The increase in gas barrier properties of polymer nanocomposites films

is believed to be due to the presence of ordered dispersed silicate
layers with large aspect ratios in the polymer matrix.
 Polymer Nanocomposites for Juice Packaging
● Packages prepared from
nanocomposite films were then
filled with this orange juice and
then stored at 4C is a new
approach for inactivating L.
plantarum in orange juice.
● LDPE + 5% P105 packages,
showed a significant
antimicrobial activity compared
with others
● Microbial stability of the juice was evaluated after 7, 28, 56, 84,
and 112 days of storage.
● Moreover, packaging made from nanocomposite film containing
nanosilver showed a more pronounced antimicrobial effects, as
compared with nano-ZnO during 112 days storage of inoculated
orange juice.
 Printable and Flexible Technology for
Electronic Packaging
● Materials including polyimide and liquid
crystal polymer (LCP) has been used to
develop flexible packages.
● Copper thinner than 5 mm is routinely used,
with copper layers as thin as 0.2 mm used
for semi-additive approaches.
● A smooth copper-polymer interface is ideal
for high speed applications and for fine
line etching.
 Polymer Nanocomposites for Industrial
Packaging
California’s Oxonica makes Nanobarcodes
from nanoparticles that contain silver and
gold stripes varying in width, length and
amount. The barcodes applications could be
forthcoming in tracing food batches.
 Conclusion

● Additives are not just property modifiers but they

also enhance the performance and aesthetic appeal
of plastics.
● Hence,they are also called ‘Miracle Workers’.
Thank you..