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J. LUCCIARINI and J. A. Ratto. U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center, U.S. Army Research, Development & Engineering Command, Kansas St., Natick, MA 01760-5018 The Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps consume approximately 46.6 million operational rations each year generating 14,117 tons of packaging waste. Due to the operational requirements for combat rations, the rations must be packaged appropriately to meet these performance requirements. A substantial use of high barrier, multi-layered materials containing foil as the barrier ensure military ration survivability under extreme environmental and transportation conditions. The US Army Soldier Systems Center is currently investigating the development of cost effective, environmentally friendly nanocomposites that meet the operational and performance requirements of combat ration shelf life, replace the existing combat ration packaging systems, and decrease solid waste by recycling or biodegrading. In this investigation, several polymer/montmorillonite layered silicate (MLS) nanocomposites were studied. These include a number of polymers such as low density polyethylene (LDPE), ethylene co-vinyl alcohol (EVOH), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Several organically modified MLS’s were melt processed with each polymer and characterized by x-ray spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to determine the dispersion and compatibility of the polymer and MLS nanoparticle. The data obtained from these trials were used to down-select several nanocomposite candidates for the production of blown films. Twin-screw extrusion equipment was used at a variety of temperatures and screw speeds to compound and to produce films. The films were again analyzed by x-ray and TEM for morphology and barrier, mechanical, and thermal properties were determined. Overall, for all three systems, there were significant improvements in barrier properties, thermal stability and Young’s modulus. Examples from these systems will be discussed and potential candidates identified for combat ration packaging applications.
Session 45, Nanoscale science, engineering and technology for food safety and quality
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