The field of packaging to catch up with nanotechnology (below)

Third, the application of nanotechnology in the field of packaging technology

The application of nanotechnology in the packaging field has not been paid attention to by people. In fact, nanotechnology has a broad application prospect in the packaging field. In the packaging materials and packaging technology, the value of nanotechnology will be inestimable. The magical functions and characteristics of nanotechnology can be analyzed from the following aspects.
1. Elimination of static electricity improves packaging and printing speed and effectiveness

Metal nanoparticles have the special function of eliminating static electricity. We can use this feature of nanotechnology to apply nanoparticles to the surface of packaging and printed materials to eliminate static electricity generated when packaging and printing materials are transported on high-speed full-automatic packaging machines or printing machines, thereby greatly improving packaging and printing. speed. In addition, due to the elimination of static electricity, the surface of the packaging and printing material no longer attracts dust, and the surface of the material is no longer covered with dust and friction increases, resulting in scratches. At the same time, the printed surface is free of electrostatic dust to improve the printing effect. Therefore, nanotechnology can greatly improve packaging and printing effects through its static elimination characteristics.

2. Sterilization improves packaging quality and increases shelf life

The addition of nano-particles to packaging materials (such as plastics and composites) produces odor-elimination and sterilization. Now some of our companies are using this technical feature to add nanoparticles to refrigerator materials (plastics) to produce antibacterial refrigerators, which greatly extend the shelf life of foods stored in refrigerators so that users do not have to worry too much about foods. corruption. Nanoparticles can also be added to paper, plastic and composite materials for packaging foods, which can increase the shelf life of packaged foods.

3. Replace traditional chemical pigments to produce advanced printing inks

As early as in 1994, XM X of Massachusetts, USA applied for and obtained a patent for the production of uniform ink nanoparticles for printing inks. The company is preparing to design and manufacture a commercial production system that will no longer rely on chemical pigments, but rather select the right nanoparticles to obtain a variety of pigments to produce advanced printing inks. Nanotechnology has created conditions for the production of high-grade printing inks.

4. Makes fragile and non-toxic packaging containers tough

Ceramic containers and glass containers are two traditional packaging containers. Because they have the advantages of non-toxicity, sealing, and smooth surface, they have occupied an important position in the packaging industry because they have the disadvantages of being brittle and inconvenient to handle. Now it has been Some metal packaging replaced. In recent years, countries such as Western Europe, the United States, and Japan have developed nanotechnology and added nanoparticles to ceramics or glass to obtain tough ceramics or glass materials. For example, the United Kingdom mixes nano-alumina with zirconium dioxide and has obtained high-toughness ceramic materials in the laboratory. As another example, Japan added aluminum oxide nanoparticles to ordinary glass, significantly changing the brittleness of the glass. The breakthrough of these technologies has brought hope to scientists who have struggled for toughening ceramics and glass for nearly a century, and has brought new hope to our revitalization of the ceramic packaging and glass packaging industry.

5. Make anti-counterfeit packaging into a new stage

Nanomaterials have superior sensitivity and have broad application prospects in terms of temperature sensitivity, gas sensitivity, moisture sensitivity, etc. The use and development of anti-counterfeit packaging will make anti-counterfeit packaging technology enter a new stage.

The sensitivity of the nanoparticles can be used to prepare temperature (heat) sensitive materials, gas sensitive materials and moisture sensitive materials, respectively, and then used as anti-counterfeit packaging.

The general metal particles are black and have the characteristics of absorbing infrared rays, and have large surface area, high surface activity and sensitivity to the surrounding environment (temperature, heat, light, humidity, etc.). Therefore, when the nano-particles with these characteristics are added into the packaging material, or made into a coating or a polishing agent, they are applied to the surface of the material and used for product packaging. When people select a product, they can be identified by heat, light, or humidity to achieve anti-counterfeiting. This means that the use of nanotechnology can achieve color anti-counterfeiting, physicochemical effects anti-counterfeiting and other purposes.

6. Make fresh-keeping packaging more effective and simpler

At present, the research and development of fresh-keeping packaging are not effective and the process is very complicated. The relative cost is high during the packaging operation and storage. With nanotechnology, these problems will be solved.

When we researched the fresh-keeping packaging of fresh fruits and vegetables, we discovered that there is a gas substance that accelerates deterioration of fruits and vegetables. This gas substance is ethylene. In fresh-keeping packaging, fruits and vegetables release ethylene. When the concentration of ethylene reaches a certain concentration, the fruits and vegetables will accelerate rot. Therefore, ethylene absorbers should be added to the fresh-keeping packaging to reduce the ethylene content in the package to improve the preservation effect and extend the shelf life. . However, tests have shown that the effect of the ethylene absorbents found so far is not ideal, which has led to difficulties in the research of fresh-keeping packaging. However, nano-sized A g powder has a catalytic effect on ethylene oxidation, that is, nano-A g powder can be used as a catalyst for ethylene oxidation. Adding nano-A g powder to the fresh-keeping packaging material can accelerate the oxidation of ethylene released from fruits and vegetables and reduce the ethylene content, so as to achieve a good preservation effect. The nanoparticles used as oxidation catalysts mainly include Fe 3 O 4, Fe 2 O 3, Co 3 O 4, NiO, and P t, Rh, A g, Pd, and the like.

The use of nano-technology packaging containers with clean sterilization and preservation. For example, nano-Tio2 catalyzes hydrocarbons under the irradiation of visible light. This effect can be used to coat a layer of nano-TiO2 on the surface of glass, ceramics, and other materials to produce a good cleaning and sterilizing effect. Japan Successful experiments have been done in this area. As long as the surface of glass and ceramic materials is coated with a thin layer of nano-Tio2, any substance that adheres to its surface, such as oil, bacteria, etc. under the irradiation of light, is catalyzed by Ti02, making these hydrocarbon substances qualitative. It is further oxidized to become a gas or a substance that can be easily wiped off, and at the same time has a significant bactericidal effect.

7. Nanotechnology can greatly improve the performance of plastic packaging materials

Nanoparticles absorb UV light. Plastic packaging products are susceptible to ageing and brittleness under ultraviolet light irradiation. If a transparent coating containing nanoparticles is coated on the surface of the plastic packaging material, the coating has a strong UV absorption capability in the range of 300 to 400 nm. Can prevent the aging of plastic packaging, and greatly increase the use of plastic packaging (such as packaging, large equipment, wrapping, etc.) and life.

There are two types of packaging materials that are good for UV absorption. One is a resin film of Ti0 2 nanoparticles of 30 to 40 nm; the other is an alcohol-containing resin film of Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles. The former has a strong absorption capability for ultraviolet rays within a wavelength of 400 nm, and the latter has a good absorption ability for ultraviolet rays within a wavelength of 600 nm. The nano-technology light-absorbing material will become a good alternative to traditional packaging materials, creating technical conditions for the modification and functional protection of packaging materials.

8. Make the packaging container processing performance greatly improved

China's various types of beverage and food packaging metal cans, domestic materials have always been poor toughness and poor ductility, processing is easy to produce cracks and other technical problems, making us a lot of metal packaging containers (cans, boxes, barrels, cans, etc.) used raw materials need import. If nanotechnology is used, the addition of nano-particles to can-making metal materials can greatly increase the toughness and ductility, greatly reduce the forming process of packaging containers, and increase their reliability and yield.

Fourth, thinking and suggestions

Nanotechnology is currently in the early stage of major breakthroughs. Its future, its role and impact have been discovered and shocked by people. Now it has attracted worldwide attention.

The prospects of nanotechnology are just like what Am strong, the chief scientist at IBM in the United States put it: "Like the micro-electronics technology that created the information revolution in the 1970s, nanoscience and technology will become the core of the information age in the next century. ". Qian Xuesen, a well-known scientist in our country, also predicted that “the structure of nanometer and nanometer is the focus of the next stage of scientific and technological development. It will be a technological revolution and will be another industrial revolution in the 21st century.” It is not difficult to predict that nanotechnology will become 21 Century's scientific frontier and leading science.

With regard to the basic research on nanotechnology, our country has reached an international advanced level in some aspects. As our area of ​​packaging, we are applying nanotechnology, developing nano packaging technology and nano packaging materials. In the past, some of our advanced packaging equipment, advanced materials, and advanced technologies in the packaging industry relied heavily on imports. We didn't have much to call technology. The emergence of nanotechnology has brought opportunities for our packaging industry and technological innovation. Relevant organizations and departments should set up research institutions for nano packaging technology and materials in order to accelerate the process of technological innovation.

The entire packaging industry focuses on packaging materials and packaging technology. The application of nanotechnology in packaging is still at a blank. In the coming days and future of joining WTO, whoever wants to work hard in this area, whoever will occupy the “commanding heights” in the packaging field in the 21st century will be in the future competition. In an advantage.

Source: Packaging Information Network