摘要

Information on oxygen permeability through polymer films is essential for some applications, especially in food packaging where the control of oxygen levels can be critical in avoiding food spoilage. A permeability testing device using fluorescence-based optical oxygen sensing was developed as a potential new instrument for measuring the oxygen permeability of packaging films. The fluorescence-based permeability tester was validated against two existing commercial oxygen permeability measuring devices, the Mocon Ox-Tran 2/20 and PBI-Dansensor OPT-5000. Oxygen transmission rates (OTR) of polylactide (PLA) and nanoclay-reinforced PLA films, as well as polyethylene/poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PE/PET) and polypropylene/poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PP/PET) laminated films were determined at 23 degrees C and 50% relative humidity using each of these instruments. No significant differences were observed between mean OTR values obtained by the fluorescence method and the corresponding values obtained using the OPT-5000 but significantly lower values were measured when using the Mocon Ox-Tran 2/20. In general, oxygen permeability data for the tested films were within the range of values found in the literature; however, in terms of further development, the fluorescence-based technique gave OTR with relatively high standard deviation compared to the commercial methods and equipment modifications to address this issue are considered desirable.

  • 出版日期2010-10