Nano Bricks Packaging Keeps Food Fresher, Longer

ANAHEIM, Calif.A new eco-friendly material called nano bricks" may improve the strength and performance of plastic food packaging and extend shelf life, according to new research presented March 28 at the 241st National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

The new film combines particles of montmorillonite clay, a soil ingredient used to make bricks, with a variety of polymer materials. The resulting film is about 70 percent clay and contains a small amount of polymer, making it more eco-friendly than current plastics. The film is less than 100 nanometers thick and completely transparent to the naked-eye.

When layered onto existing plastic packaging, it adds strength and provides an improved barrier to oxygen. Lab studies have demonstrated the film is 100 times less permeable to oxygen than existing silicon oxide coatings, which means its likely to be a better oxygen barrier than a metal coating, whose permeability is similar to that of silicon oxide.

The scientists said the new material has the ability to slow the loss of carbon dioxide gas and keep soft drinks carbonated for several more months or even years, as well as extend the shelf life of military MREs.,

This is a new, outside of the box technology that gives plastic the superior food preservation properties of glass," said Jaime Grunlan, Ph.D., who reported on the research. It will give consumers tastier, longer lasting foods and help boost the food packaging industry."

Grunlan is currently trying to improve the quality of the film to make it more appealing to packaging manufacturers, including making it more moisture resistant. He envisions manufacturers will dip plastics in the coating or spray the coating onto plastics. In the future, he hopes to develop nano-brick films that block sunlight and contain antimicrobial substances to enhance packaging performance.