SFB/TR 87: Low-maintenance continuous Air2Air PECVD film coating through In-Plasma concept

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Subproject T06

Packaging plastics can be provided with recyclable barrier coatings through plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). For flexible packaging, however, this process is more economical if the plasma coating can – like film extrusion – be carried out continuously. A reactor concept was developed for this in a transfer project as part of SFB TR 87 (Collaborative Research Centre TR 87).

The basic prototype was successfully constructed in the laboratory for plasma and surface technology (Fig. 1). From the right-hand side, the film is taken through a three-stage sluice system into the coating reactor. To the left of the coating reactor, the running direction of the film is changed so that the film is passed once again through the reactor before it travels back through the sluice system to be wound up. Within the process chamber, the plasma zone is enveloped by the film sheet, analogous to placing the plasma zone inside the hollow body during hollow body coating, which limits the parasitic coating of the reactor walls. The vacuum concept was validated using a basic pressure of approx. 1 Pa in the process chamber.

SFBTR87_Air2Air_PECVD-Folienbeschichtung — Abb. 1: Projektprototyp im Labor für Plasma- und Oberflächentechnik.

In further projects, the process set-up will follow and, in addition, the coating deposition rates and the coating homogeneity will be studied in order to guarantee the efficiency and quality of the coating. These examinations are of decisive importance to enable an economical and scalable application of the PECVD technology for flexible packaging.

The progress made during the In-Plasma-Air2Air project provides a highly promising basis for future developments in the field of sustainable packaging technologies. The results presented and the further development of the reactor concept will contribute to improving the recyclability of flexible packaging and, at the same time, will also take account of the economic aspects.

Project data and funding

We would like to thank the DFG for funding the project as part of the Collaborative Research Center TR 87 and the project partners for their cooperation.

Project duration: 01.10.2020 – 30.09.2024

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