Exploitation properties of pellicles based on polyvinyl alcohol

The rapid growth of the flexible packaging market leads to an increase in waste. Plastic packaging residues can persist for decades, creating a significant burden on the environment. Pollution of soil and ocean water by plastic waste has reached alarming proportions. Environmental problems associated with the disposal of household waste and packaging residues are becoming global and need to be addressed immediately. And the searches of scientists are aimed both at improving the technologies of recycling polymeric substances and at the manufacture of packaging that can decompose in the natural environment in short periods of time, without introducing an additional load on the ecosystem. Pellicle materials based on polyvinyl alcohol decompose in the natural environment into carbon dioxide and water, and a small amount of other impurities can serve as a mineral fertilizer in agriculture. The study of PVA-based pellicles is an urgent issue of creating environmentally friendly pellicle packaging materials. Since it is important for packaging materials to be able to apply the necessary information about the name and composition of the product, the terms of manufacture and storage, the study of the mechanical and surface properties of the pellicles obtained will make it possible to determine possible areas of application and develop technological conditions for printing. The study of the surface properties of films is carried out in order to establish the possibility of applying images or markings on their surface. The research of the surface properties of film materials are performed by determining the contact angle of wetting. Kinetic curves of the process of wetting composites with water and ethylene glycol are given. This makes it possible to print films or label water-based inks.

Keywords: packaging materials, pellicle, polyvinyl alcohol equilibrium wetting angle, hydrophilic properties.

doi: 10.32403/1998-6912-2022-2-65-96-103