A number of research projects have been carried out on the development of specialty microporous films. Some of the application areas of these films are breathable films for personal care products and volatile corrosion inhibitor (VCI) films for packaging applications. Proprietary processes and materials have been developed for a number of filled film applications.
Both filled film technology and infused film technology have been developed for certain applications. Also, a novel low-temperature polymer infusion process has been developed, which can be used as a new compounding method. This process was awarded the following U.S. patents:
- Gencer, S. Lee, A. Sardesai, and D. Kubik, “Process for Infusing an Alkali Metal Nitrite into a Synthetic Resinous Material”, U.S. Patent No. 7,217,749, May 15, 2007.
- Gencer, S. Lee, A. Sardesai, and D. Kubik, “Process for Incorporating One or More Materials into a Polymer Composition and Products Produced Thereby”, U.S. Patent No. 7,217,750, May 15, 2007
Morphological, mechanical, and rheological properties of filled films have been extensively investigated and the phenomenon of breathability has been elucidated. Our research group has a twin-screw extruder, a 10-inch film die, Rheometrics DMTA (Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analyzer), TA’s DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimeter) and TGA (Thermogravimetric Analyzer), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infra-Red), and Instron for this project.
Certain aspects of the breathable film project have been funded by the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, whereas the VCI film research has been supported by Northern Technologies International Corporation (NTIC). VCI stands for volatile corrosion inhibitor.
Sunggyu Lee, PhD 