Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol Resins as a Barrier Material in Multi-Layer Packages

Abstract

Oxygen sensitive food packaging was almost the exclusive domain of glass and metal containers until the advent of high barrier polymers. Coextrusion and orienta tion have combined with these high barrier resins to make many new markets avail able to plastics packaging. Ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer resins provide the best oxygen barrier properties of these several polymers—the physical, chemical, and bar rier properties of these resins are reviewed, including the effects of moisture on their gas barrier properties. A description is provided of the applications and types of packages which these copolymer resins have now made possible.