Biobased compostable resin for moisture barrier coatings on packaging

Overview

This offering is a biobased, compostable resin formulation developed as a moisture barrier coating for dry goods packaging. The technology targets packaging manufacturers and brand owners seeking sustainable alternatives to conventional petroleum-based barrier coatings. The resin is approximately 97% plant-based and is designed to be applied on standard roll coating equipment, then UV-cured to form a transparent, hydrophobic film layer on substrates such as paper, cellulosic materials, or plastics.

Technical specifications

Key features:

• Two functional groups in the resin: adhesion-promoting carboxyl or hydroxyl groups for bonding to cellulosic or plastic substrates, and hydrophobic groups that create a moisture-resistant film upon curing
• Solvent-free platform, reducing volatile organic compound emissions during processing
• Compatible with roll coating application and UV curing on existing multi-layer packaging manufacturing lines
• Transparent cured film with thermal stability and high resistance to water and solvents
• Modulable formula that can be tuned for strength, flexibility, viscosity, and adhesion strength to match a specific substrate and application
• Designed to serve as a moisture barrier layer on paper or plastic substrates for dry goods packaging

Technology readiness level

The resin hybrids have been validated in wood floor and furniture applications following ASTM standards for roll coating suitability, UV curing compatibility, transparency, thermal stability, and water/solvent resistance. The resin has not yet been validated as a moisture barrier for packaging applications. Planned next steps include designing and synthesizing optimized resin formulas, fabricating stand-alone film samples, and evaluating coating performance on packaging substrates provided by an industry partner. Target performance specifications include moisture barrier performance below 0.3 g/m² per day at 38°C and 90% relative humidity, along with tensile strength, flexibility, transparency, thermal stability, polymerization, adhesion, and compostability evaluation following Modified EN 13432 or ASTM 6400 standards.