Poly(hydroxy amino ethers): Novel high-barrier thermoplastics

A visible trend in the area of food and beverage packaging is the ever increasing substitution of plastics for materials such as glass and metal. This research details the synthesis and properties of a new class of high barrier thermoplastics, namely poly(hydroxy amino ethers) (PHAE) prepared from stoichiometric reactions of primary amines or bis-sec-diamines with aromatic diglycidyl ethers in solution or in the melt. These polymers are true high molecular weight thermoplastics that can be fabricated by a variety of conventional processing techniques. The oxygen transmission rates of these polymers range from moderate (<5 BU) to very low (<0.1 BU), depending on the backbone structure of the PHAE in question. These extraordinary barrier properties are the consequence of a high degree of interchain cohesion due to hydrogen bonding interactions. The effect of polymer structure on oxygen transmission rate, glass transition temperature, and physical properties has been studied in detail.