Design and performance evaluation of multilayer packaging films for blister packaging applications

Five multilayer packaging film structures consisting of amorphous poly(ethylene terephthalate) (APET), low‐density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), and acrylonitrile/methyl acrylate copolymer (Barex) films i.e., APET/polyethylene (PE), APET/PP, APET/PE + UV inhibitor, APET/PP/PE, and APET/Barex/PP] for blister packaging applications were designed and produced. Blister containers with APET/PE and APET/Barex/PP structures were prepared, and their optical, mechanical, barrier (O₂, CO₂, and H₂O), physical, and product/package compatibility performance properties were evaluated. Package/product compatibility with simulants (soy sauce and sunscreen skin cream) at 37.8°C was evaluated for 3, 7, 14, and 28 days in the multilayer films and the blister containers. APET/Barex/PP film showed significantly better O₂ and CO₂ barrier performance than the other four film structures. The UV inhibitor had no significant effect on the barrier properties in the APET/PE film structure. All of the film structures showed high enough elastic storage modulus values to be applied to blister packaging in a broad range of temperatures between ?45 and 80°C. The glass‐transition temperature of APET, which was responsible for the elastic modulus of the multilayer structure, decreased after the samples were exposed to the skin cream. This decrease may have been due to the sorption of the skin cream's active ingredients, such as ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010