Relationship Between Crystallization, Mechanical and Gas Barrier Properties of Poly(ethylene furanoate) (PEF) in Multinanolayered PLA-PEF and PET-PEF Films

Food packaging films must be reinvented in order to answer the new demanding ecological requirements. Biobased and/or biodegradable polymers appear as an interesting alternative to reduce petroleum dependence and carbon dioxide emissions. Poly(ethylene furanoate) (PEF) appears today as a new promising biopolymer thanks to its good gas barrier and mechanical properties, despite its high price that could limit its industrial applications. Its combination with other polymers is thus of great interest and for the first time, film coextrusion process is used to create PLA-PEF and PET-PEF multi-micro/nano layered films. A new PEF grade developed by AVA Biochem in the H2020 Mypack program, has been used and firstly analysed in terms of melt processability, mechanical, thermal and gas barrier properties. Our major results confirmed the good gas barrier as well as mechanical properties of amorphous PEF. Post-extrusion PEF bulk thermal crystallization led to very brittle material making gas barrier measurements impossible. Micro/nanolayered PLA-PEF and PET-PEF films with different PEF layer thicknesses have been processed and post-extrusion annealing treatment was carried out. The relationship between crystallinity, mechanical and gas barrier properties will be investigated