U.S. patent application number 10/268933 was filed with the patent office on 2003-07-24 for enhanced oxygen-scavenging polymers, and packaging made therefrom.
This patent application is currently assigned to Continental PET Technologies, Inc.. Invention is credited to Adams, Ronald SR., Agrawal, Amit S., Barker, Keith, Lynch, Brian, Schmidt, Steven L..
Application Number | 20030138578 10/268933 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27360987 |
Filed Date | 2003-07-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030138578 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Schmidt, Steven L. ; et
al. |
July 24, 2003 |
Enhanced oxygen-scavenging polymers, and packaging made
therefrom
Abstract
Oxygen-scavenging polymers and packaging for holding
oxygen-sensitive products. A heat treatment process has been found
to significantly increase the oxygen-scavenging performance of the
polymer. The enhanced scavenging polymer can be effectively
incorporated into various packaging, including transparent
multilayer containers for beer and juice. In one embodiment, a
multilayer package made from the scavenger provides an actual
reduction in oxygen content of a contents of the package, over a
long period of time (e.g., 24 weeks). The package can be stored
unfilled for an extended period (without significant loss of
scavenging capability) and will scavenge substantially immediately
upon filling with a liquid product. The package may incorporate a
relatively low weight percentage of the scavenger, thus providing
enhanced scavenging in a cost-effective manner.
Inventors: |
Schmidt, Steven L.;
(Bedford, NH) ; Lynch, Brian; (Merrimack, NH)
; Barker, Keith; (Candia, NH) ; Adams, Ronald
SR.; (Goffstown, NH) ; Agrawal, Amit S.;
(Merrimack, NH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Therese A. Hendricks
FINNEGAN, HENDERSON, FARABOW,
GARRETT and DUNNER, L.L.P.
1300 I Street, N.W.
Washington
DC
20005-3315
US
|
Assignee: |
Continental PET Technologies,
Inc.
|
Family ID: |
27360987 |
Appl. No.: |
10/268933 |
Filed: |
October 11, 2002 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10268933 |
Oct 11, 2002 |
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09745010 |
Dec 20, 2000 |
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09745010 |
Dec 20, 2000 |
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09241598 |
Feb 2, 1999 |
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09241598 |
Feb 2, 1999 |
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09236498 |
Jan 26, 1999 |
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09236498 |
Jan 26, 1999 |
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09169439 |
Oct 9, 1998 |
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09236498 |
Jan 26, 1999 |
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09018217 |
Feb 3, 1998 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
428/35.7 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B32B 27/18 20130101;
B32B 2307/518 20130101; B32B 33/00 20130101; C08K 2003/0843
20130101; C08L 77/00 20130101; A23L 3/3436 20130101; Y10T 428/1359
20150115; C08K 5/098 20130101; B32B 27/34 20130101; Y10T 428/1352
20150115; C08K 3/08 20130101; B32B 27/36 20130101; C08K 3/08
20130101; Y10T 428/1379 20150115; B32B 2439/70 20130101; C08K
2201/012 20130101; Y10T 428/1338 20150115; Y10T 428/1355 20150115;
B32B 27/32 20130101; B32B 27/08 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
428/35.7 |
International
Class: |
B32B 001/02 |
Claims
1. A package for enclosing an aqueous liquid, the package having a
wall wherein the wall comprises at least one oxygen-scavenging
layer of a solid-stated polyamide and at least 200 ppm of a
transition metal in the polyamide, wherein at least a portion of
the wall has a haze of less than 10%.
2. The package of claim 1, wherein the polyamide is MXD-6.
3. The package of claim 1, wherein the transition metal is
cobalt.
4. The package of claim 1, wherein the oxygen-scavenging layer is
positioned adjacent one or more layers of a polymer providing at
least one of structural and oxygen barrier properties.
5. The package of claim 4, wherein the oxygen-scavenging layer is
positioned between layers of the adjacent polymer.
6. The package of claim 5, wherein the adjacent polymer is
biaxially-oriented.
7. The package of claim 6, wherein the adjacent polymer is selected
from the group consisting of a polyester and a polyolefin.
8. The package of claim 7, wherein the adjacent polymer is a
polyester.
9. The package of claim 8, wherein the polyester is polyethylene
terephthalate.
10. The package of claim 5, wherein one adjacent polymer layer is
an inner layer, at least a portion of which is contacted with the
aqueous liquid.
11. The package of claim 10, wherein the package includes at least
a portion having two oxygen-scavenging layers positioned between
three adjacent polymer layers.
12. The package of claim 10, wherein the aqueous liquid is
beer.
13. The package of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the
wall has a percent haze of less than 7%.
14. The package of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the
wall has a percent haze of less than 5%.
13. The package of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the
wall is a sidewall.
14. The package of claim 1, wherein the entire package has a
percent haze of less than 10%.
15. The package of claim 3, wherein the oxygen-scavenging layer
contains from 200 ppm to 2000 ppm of cobalt.
16. The package of claim 15, wherein the oxygen-scavenging layer
contains from 300 ppm to 1000 ppm of cobalt.
17. The package of claim 16, wherein the oxygen-scavenging layer
contains from 400 ppm to 800 ppm of cobalt.
18. A container for enclosing an aqueous liquid, the container
having a wall wherein the wall comprises at least one layer of a
solid-stated polyamide and at least 200 ppm of cobalt in the
polyamide.
19. A container for enclosing an aqueous liquid, the container
having a wall wherein the wall comprises at least one layer of a
solid-stated polyamide, wherein at least a portion of the wall has
a haze of less than 10%.
20. A container for enclosing an aqueous liquid, the container
having a wall wherein the wall comprises at least one layer of a
polyamide and at least 200 ppm of cobalt in the polyamide, wherein
at least a portion of the wall has a haze of less than 10%.
Description
PRIOR APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 09/169,439
filed Oct. 9, 1998, entitled "Enhanced Oxygen-Scavenging Polymers,
And Packaging Made Therefrom", and of U.S. Ser. No. 09/018,217
filed Feb. 3, 1998 entitled "Solid-Stating Method For Increasing
Oxygen-Scavenging Rate of Polymers, And Packaging Made From Such
Polymers", both by S. Schmidt et al., and from which priority is
claimed and which are hereby incorporated by reference in their
entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention is directed to enhanced
oxygen-scavenging polymers and packaging for holding
oxygen-sensitive products, and in particular embodiments to
multi-layer articles incorporating such polymers which are
transparent and utilize a relatively low weight percent
(cost-effective) amount of the enhanced scavenging polymer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Plastic packaging has certain inherent benefits over glass
and metal packaging, such as light weightability, increased
variability in package design, non-breakability, and reduced cost.
However, plastic packaging may have greater permeability to certain
gases (oxygen and carbon dioxide) and liquids (water) than glass or
metal; these gases/liquids permeate the plastic and reduce the
shelf life of the product contained therein. Various specialty
polymers and layer structures have been developed which provide a
commercially-acceptable shelf life for some oxygen-sensitive
products, such as juice and ketchup.
[0004] There are two general types of oxygen-barrier
materials--passive and active. A "passive" barrier retards oxygen
permeation into the package. For example, with multi-layer
technology it is possible to incorporate thin layers of expensive
barrier polymers (e.g., polyvinylidene chloride copolymer (PVDC) or
ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH)), in combination with
structural layers of bottle-grade plastic resins (e.g.,
polyethylene terephthalate (PET)), to provide a cost-effective
barrier package.
[0005] In an "active" barrier package, an oxygen "scavenger" is
incorporated into a single or multi-layer plastic structure to
theoretically remove the oxygen initially present and/or generated
from the inside of the package, as well as to retard the passage of
exterior oxygen into the package. Thus, oxygen-scavengers are
superior to passive barriers in that they both remove oxygen from
inside the package and retard its ingress into the package.
However, the performance of the prior active barrier packages is
reported in terms of an overall ingress such that the oxygen
content continues to increase over time, albeit at a slower rate of
increase than with some passive barriers.
[0006] Commercially successful hot-fill juice containers (passive
barrier) have been developed by Continental PET Technologies, Inc.
of Florence, Ky., which provide a 1.5 to 4-time improvement in
oxygen barrier property over a standard commercial single-layer PET
container. These multi-layer juice containers include two very thin
intermediate barrier layers of EVOH positioned between inner and
outer layers of virgin PET, and a core layer of either virgin or
recycled PET. However, there are products even more "oxygen
sensitive" than juice--e.g., beer. The taste of beer deteriorates
rapidly in the presence of oxygen and thus beer requires at least a
10-times greater oxygen barrier property than provided by the
standard single-layer PET container. Furthermore, beer's oxygen
sensitivity is enhanced by increased temperature, i.e., exposure to
heat during storage has a multiplicative impact on oxygen's adverse
effect on taste. For example, if beer is refrigerated during
storage and the amount of oxygen is maintained below a specified
parts-per-billion (ppb), a given container may have a shelf life of
4-6 weeks (28-42 days). However, if the same beer container is not
refrigerated, then the shelf life may be reduced to 1-2 weeks (7-14
days).
[0007] One possible solution for highly oxygen-sensitive products
is to utilize higher barrier polymers in packaging. For example,
polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) has a 5-time improvement in oxygen
barrier property over polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Also, PEN
has a significantly higher glass transition temperature (T.sub.g)
than (PET)--about 120.degree. C. compared to 80.degree. C.--and
thus PEN is also desirable for use in thermal-resistant (e.g.,
pasteurizable) beer containers. However, PEN is more expensive than
PET (both as a material and in processing costs), and thus the
improvement in properties must be balanced against the increased
expense. Also, the increase in passive barrier protection with PEN
does not solve the problem of residual oxygen within the
package.
[0008] One method of achieving a package that is lower in cost than
PEN, but with higher barrier and thermal properties, is to provide
a blend of PEN and PET. However, blending of these two polymers
generally results in an opaque material (incompatible phases).
Efforts to produce a clear (transparent) container or film from a
PEN/PET blend, and maintain strain hardening (for structural
strength) have been ongoing for over ten years but there is still
no commercial process in wide-spread use for producing such
articles.
[0009] Another possible solution, on which extensive work has been
reported, is the use of alleged metal-activated oxidizable organic
polymers (e.g., polyamides) as oxygen-scavengers in plastic
containers. However, problems again exist with: lack of clarity;
time/expense required to activate the scavenging polymer; toxicity
of the metal; need to prevent interaction of oxidative reaction
byproducts with the package contents and/or environment; and loss
of the oxygen-scavenging effect during storage (prior to filling).
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,252 to Nilsson suggests a
single-layer container wall consisting of a blend of PET, 1-7% by
weight polyamide (e.g., MXD-6 nylon), and 50-1000 ppm
(parts-per-million) of a transition metal (e.g., cobalt). Nilsson
theorizes that cobalt forms an active metal complex having the
capacity to bond with oxygen and to coordinate to the groups or
atoms of the polymer. However, Nilsson notes that low-oxygen
permeability coefficients are achieved only after an aging
(activation) process, which may require exposure of the
preform/container to a combination of temperature and humidity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,515 to Cochran generally describes the use of a
PET/polyamide blend with cobalt. It suggests a multi-layer
structure formed by coextrusion lamination using adhesive tie
layers, wherein inner and outer layers prevent interaction of a
central scavenging layer (containing cobalt) with the package
contents and environment. However, Cochran similarly notes the
aging effect.
[0010] A significant problem with blending polyesters (such as PET)
and polyamides (such as MXD-6 nylon) is loss of clarity. Most food
manufacturers require the transparency of a PET container, and will
not accept a loss of transparency in order to achieve a desired
oxygen-barrier property.
[0011] Thus, the prior art containers typically suffer from one or
more of the following difficulties:
[0012] (a) lack of transparency;
[0013] (b) inability to process the polymers on commercial
injection molding equipment;
[0014] (c) only marginal improvement in oxygen-scavenging
performance over monolayer PET bottles or multilayer PET/EVOH
bottles;
[0015] (d) aging or activation requirement to induce
oxygen-scavenging performance;
[0016] (e) high cost and/or toxicity.
[0017] One reference discloses that under test conditions designed
to approximate the actual conditions in beverage applications, the
scavenging performance of a plastic container having a scavenging
polyamide was "comparable" to a glass bottle (see for example, the
PET/polyamide blend of U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,515, example 8). In
reality, plastic containers having a performance only comparable to
glass do not provide a significant incentive for beer producers to
give up their substantial investment in glass container bottling
operations. Still further, the same blend art states that with
increasing concentrations of the metal, the oxygen-scavenging
performance actually decreases. Again, this would discourage one
from believing that oxidizable polymers (such as polyamide) could
provide a commercial container which satisfied the stringent
low-oxygen requirements for beer.
[0018] The variety of oxygen-barrier systems disclosed in the art
is strong evidence of the commercial need for such packaging, and
also that the known systems have not solved many of the problems.
Thus, there is an ongoing need for oxygen-scavenging polymers
having enhanced scavenging capacity and for a process to
manufacture transparent articles from such polymers in a
cost-effective manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0019] In one embodiment, the present invention is based on a
surprising discovery that a certain heat treatment of a scavenging
polymer can result in a very significant increase in the
oxygen-scavenging performance and furthermore that this enhanced
scavenging polymer can be effectively incorporated in a transparent
multi-layer container. This new package provides a number of
features which prior art packages have been unable to achieve.
First (in select embodiments), it enables production of a
transparent biaxially-oriented container sidewall when blow-molded
(to produce strain orientation) with adjacent layers of aromatic
polyesters, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Without
transparency, the container would not be commercially acceptable.
Secondly (in select embodiments), the container actually provides a
reduction in oxygen content of a liquid in the container over an
extended period of time, i.e., exceeding 16 weeks. Such performance
is quantitatively superior to that of a glass container, which
shows a steadily increasing oxygen content of the liquid over time.
This net reduction in oxygen content is achievable even when
starting with very low initial oxygen concentrations, such as 200
ppb or less. Thirdly (in select embodiments), the new container
does not have a significant aging or activation requirement--rather
it has a high level of scavenging almost immediately upon filling,
which overcomes the prior art requirement of an activation or aging
process. Also, it can be stored empty (prior to filling) for
extended periods without depletion of scavenging. Fourthly (in
select embodiments), the new container incorporates a relatively
low weight percentage of the scavenging layer which is helpful in
maintaining transparency and in providing a cost-effective
container, i.e., utilizing relatively low amounts of the more
expensive scavenger material.
[0020] Thus, according to one preferred embodiment, a transparent
multilayer blow-molded container or sidewall of the container is
formed from a multilayer injection-molded preform. The
preform/container has a five-layer structure including inner, outer
and core structural layers of a polymer, e.g., an aromatic
polyester such as PET, and inner and outer intermediate layers of
an enhanced oxygen scavenger disposed between the inner, core and
outer layers respectively. The container includes a
biaxially-expanded sidewall portion in which the PET layers have
undergone strain orientation and crystallization for strength. The
scavenger layers can be processed at temperatures and stretch
ratios suitable for orienting the PET layers, without the scavenger
or PET undergoing excessive crystallization which would render the
sidewall opaque. The amount of metal in the scavenging layer can be
adjusted to enhance the scavenging rate. A preferred amount of the
metal is at least 200 ppm based on the scavenging layer, more
preferably from 200 to 2000 ppm, more preferably from 300 to 1000
ppm, and still more preferably from 400 to 800 ppm. Optimizing the
metal concentration and wall thickness of the scavenging layer(s)
and PET in the biaxially-oriented sidewall will enhance the overall
scavenging performance of the container.
[0021] Surprisingly it was found that the above five-layer
structure enables extraction of oxygen from a liquid product, even
at initially low levels of oxygen content, resulting in a reduction
in oxygen content over time. This is qualitatively different from
what occurs in a container that merely slows down a rate of oxygen
transmission from an area of higher concentration (i.e., ambient
air outside the container having an oxygen concentration of 21%) to
an area of lower concentration (i.e., inside the container where
the oxygen content is much lower, e.g., 8000 to 9000 ppb dissolved
oxygen in water or juice, or 200 ppb dissolved oxygen in beer). In
the present invention, the relatively low level of oxygen initially
present in the product is actually being removed from the liquid,
causing a reduction in the oxygen content. By "reduction" it is
meant that more oxygen is leaving the liquid/container than
entering the liquid/container.
[0022] The prior art fails to teach or suggest this ability to
extract oxygen at low concentrations. In contrast, the prior art
defines the scavenging performance of a plastic container
containing polyamide/metal based on a reduced oxygen transmission
rate from the exterior to the interior of the container--i.e.,
based on an expected flow from an area of higher concentration to
one of lower concentration (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,515, col. 3).
This discussion in the prior art of transmission from the exterior
to the interior of the container is however consistent with the
performance of a glass container, wherein the prior art found the
plastic container to have a performance "comparable" to that of a
glass container.
[0023] Furthermore, in certain applications it has now been found
that adjusting the intrinsic viscosity (IV) and/or melt viscosity
of the scavenging material will assist in providing a desired
material distribution or wall thickness of the scavenger in a
multi-layer structure. Generally, the intrinsic viscosity and/or
melt viscosity can be correlated with a melt index for the polymer,
e.g., the melt index defined by ASTM D1238-94a. In providing a melt
index of the scavenger compatible with a melt index of an adjacent
structural layer, one can increase the amount of scavenger material
which ends up for example in a relatively thin sidewall portion of
a multilayer container, as opposed to a thicker neck finish portion
(where less or no scavenging is required). For example, using a low
IV scavenger, more scavenger may end up in the neck finish, as
opposed to the sidewall. Adding a metal (such as cobalt) may reduce
the IV or melt viscosity of a scavenging polymer, such as a
polyamide, thus further aggravating the problem of insufficient
scavenger in the sidewall. Although it may be possible to increase
the thickness of the scavenger layer by increasing the total amount
of scavenger material, this produces an increase in cost and, in
certain instances, a relatively greater percentage of the scavenger
material ending up in the neck finish where it may not be
required.
[0024] Thus, the thickness of the scavenger layer in the
sidewall-forming portion of an injection-molded article (preform)
may be increased by adjusting the melt index of the scavenger
material. This greater thickness of scavenger does not lead to
problems of delamination, as may occur with prior art barrier
materials such as EVOH, because the polyamide adheres better to
adjacent PET layers. Also, by increasing the amount of scavenger in
the sidewall (as compared to the neck finish), other problems can
be avoided, such as delamination in the finish during blowing, and
sealing defects (i.e., breakthrough of the inner polyamide layer at
the top sealing surface of the container which interferes with the
formation of a tight seal between a foil liner and the top sealing
surface of the container). Still further, there is the economic
benefit of providing relatively more scavenger material at the
location of greatest need, i.e., in the thinnest section of the
container.
[0025] Thus, the following aspects of the invention may be used
independently or in various combinations to provide an enhanced
oxygen-scavenging composition or article.
[0026] In one aspect, a heat treatment under reduced pressure
conditions is provided which is described herein as "solid
stating". This solid-stating process increases the
oxygen-scavenging capability of a polymer, such as a polymer having
a repeat unit including a carbonyl.
[0027] In another aspect of the invention, a scavenger layer is
provided which is melt-compatible with an adjacent structural
polymer layer. This may be used to achieve a substantially uniform
thickness of the scavenger layer throughout an article or in a
particular portion of an article.
[0028] According to a further aspect of the invention, a package is
provided which enables immediate scavenging when filled with a
product. This avoids the problems of the prior art with aging and
activation. According to one embodiment, a multi-layer package is
provided having an oxygen-scavenging layer consisting essentially
of a polymer and a metal, the polymer having a repeat unit
including a carbonyl and at least one hydrogen atom alpha to the
carbonyl, a structural layer between the oxygen-scavenging layer
and an aqueous-containing liquid product in the package, and
wherein upon filling of the package with the product the water in
the product permeates the structural and oxygen-scavenging layers
and the oxygen content of the liquid product is reduced.
[0029] In another aspect a package for an aqueous liquid is
provided wherein the package has a wall comprising an
oxygen-scavenging polymeric composition, a thickness of the wall
adapted to achieve oxygen removal from the liquid.
[0030] In another aspect, a multi-layer package is provided for
enclosing an aqueous liquid having an oxygen content, the package
comprising at least one oxygen-scavenging layer comprising a
polyamide and cobalt in an amount of at least 200 ppm in the
polyamide and wherein the package enclosing the liquid has an
oxygen-removal rate greater than an oxygen-removal rate of a dry
package.
[0031] In another aspect, an oxygen-scavenging layer comprises a
polyamide and cobalt in an amount of at least 200 ppm in the
polyamide, and a structural polymer layer is positioned adjacent
the oxygen-scavenging layer, wherein the structural layer is
permeable to water.
[0032] According to one aspect, a method of removing oxygen from an
aqueous liquid having an oxygen content is provided which includes
the steps of providing a package having a wall comprising at least
one oxygen-scavenging layer comprising a polymeric composition, and
selecting a thickness of the wall to achieve a reduction in the
oxygen content of the liquid.
[0033] In another aspect, a method of reducing an oxygen content of
a liquid in a multilayer container is provided which includes the
steps of providing a transparent sidewall portion of the container,
the sidewall portion including an oxygen-scavenging layer of a
polyamide and cobalt in an amount of at least 200 ppm and a
structural polymer layer positioned between the scavenging layer
and the liquid, and allowing a component of the liquid to permeate
the structural layer to contact the scavenging layer and cause a
reduction in oxygen content of the liquid.
[0034] According to another aspect, a method of enhancing the
oxygen-scavenging capability of an oxygen-scavenging composition is
provided comprising solid-stating a polyamide, and adding cobalt to
the polyamide in an amount of at least 200 ppm in the
polyamide.
[0035] In another aspect, a method of reducing the oxygen content
of a volume of a liquid comprises providing a sealed multi-layer
container containing a volume of liquid, the container comprising
at least one oxygen-scavenging layer, the at least one
oxygen-scavenging layer comprising a polymer and cobalt, the
polymer having a repeat unit including a carbonyl and at least one
hydrogen atom alpha to the carbonyl, the cobalt being present in an
amount of at least 200 ppm in the layer, and at least one
structural polymer layer positioned between the at least one
oxygen-scavenging layer and the volume of the liquid, wherein the
oxygen content of the volume of the liquid in the sealed
multi-layer container is maintained for a period of time below the
oxygen content of a same volume of the liquid stored in a sealed
glass container for the same period of time.
[0036] In another aspect a method for reducing a melt index of a
polyamide comprises adding a metal to the polyamide to achieve the
reduced melt index, and forming the polyamide in a layer structure
with other polymers.
[0037] In another aspect, a method of making a multi-layer
oxygen-scavenging article comprises providing a layer of an oxygen
scavenger including a polyamide and a metal, and a layer of a
structural polymer, and adjusting a melt index of the scavenger
compatible with a melt index of the structural polymer.
[0038] In another aspect, a method for making a transparent
multi-layer article having an oxygen-scavenging layer comprises
heating a polyamide under a low oxygen content atmosphere to
increase the oxygen-scavenging performance of the polyamide with a
given metal content by a factor of at least 1.3, and forming the
multi-layer article including at least one oxygen-scavenging layer
formed of the polyamide and metal.
[0039] In another aspect, an injection-molded multi-layer preform
is provided for making a multi-layer oxygen-scavenging container
having a transparent sidewall, the preform comprises a neck finish,
a sidewall-forming portion and a base-forming portion, the
sidewall-forming portion having at least one layer of an oxygen
scavenger comprising a polyamide and cobalt in an amount of at
least 200 ppm in the polymer, and the preform having a
substantially uniform thickness of the scavenging layer in the
sidewall-forming portion.
[0040] In another aspect, a method is provided for making an
injection-molded preform for a multi-layer oxygen-scavenging
container having a transparent sidewall, wherein the preform
includes a sidewall-forming portion having at least one
oxygen-scavenging layer including a polyamide and cobalt to provide
the scavenging function, the method including adjusting a melt
index of the polyamide to provide a substantially uniform
scavenging layer in the sidewall-forming portion of the
preform.
[0041] In another aspect, a method is provided for enhancing the
oxygen-scavenging performance of a polyamide, the method comprising
heating the polyamide, and wherein a plaque formed of the
heat-treated polyamide has a greater oxygen-removal rate when
exposed to moisture than when not exposed to moisture.
[0042] In another aspect, a transparent multilayer bottle is
provided for packaging an aqueous liquid containing oxygen, the
bottle having a wall comprising an inner layer or layers of an
oxygen-scavenging composition having an activity on a wet plaque
test of reducing an oxygen content from 21% to 19% or less in 54
days.
[0043] In another aspect, a composition for use as an oxygen
scavenger is provided which comprises a xylidene-substituted
polyamide which has been treated so that the ratio of wet to dry
plaque tests when the polyamide is mixed with 500 ppm of cobalt is
greater then 2:1, and more preferably 3:1.
[0044] In another aspect, a transparent multilayer bottle is
provided for packaging an aqueous liquid containing oxygen, the
bottle comprising an inner layer or layers of an oxygen-scavenging
composition and the inner layer or layers being between outer
layers of a structural polymer or polymers and wherein the
oxygen-scavenging performance as measured on the aqueous liquid
filled bottle is greater then the scavenging rate measured on the
unfilled bottle.
[0045] One further aspect is a xylidene-substituted polyamide for
use as an oxygen scavenger which has been treated under
solid-stating conditions and mixed with from 250 to 850 ppm of
cobalt.
[0046] Another aspect is a transparent multilayer bottle for beer
comprising two inner layers of a xylidene-substituted polyamide and
250 to 850 ppm of cobalt, and a core layer and two outer layers of
biaxially-oriented PET, where the thicknesses of each of the
polyamide layers is in the range of 0.00254-0.0254 mm and each core
and each outer layer is in the range of 0.0254 to 0.0508 mm, and
the polyamide has been treated under solid-stating conditions.
[0047] Yet another aspect is a container for enclosing an aqueous
liquid, the container having a wall comprising at least one layer
of a solid-stated polymer having a repeat unit containing a
carbonyl, the polymer containing at least 200 ppm of a transition
metal.
[0048] Yet another aspect is a container for enclosing an aqueous
liquid, the container having a wall comprising at least one layer
of a solid-stated polymer having a repeat unit containing a
carbonyl, wherein the wall has a haze of less than 10%.
[0049] Yet another aspect is a container for enclosing an aqueous
liquid, the container having a wall comprising at least one layer
of a polymer having a repeat unit containing a carbonyl, the
polymer containing at least 200 ppm of a transition metal, wherein
the wall has a haze of less than 10%.
[0050] Yet another aspect is a container for enclosing an aqueous
liquid, the container having a wall comprising at least one layer
of a solid-stated polymer having a repeat unit containing a
carbonyl, the polymer containing at least 200 ppm of a transition
metal, wherein the wall has a haze of less than 10%.
[0051] These and other features of the present invention will be
more particularly understood with regard to the following detailed
description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0052] FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a multi-layer preform
incorporating two layers of an enhanced scavenging polymer
according to one embodiment of the present invention;
[0053] FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a multi-layer container
having a transparent sidewall made from the preform of FIG. 1;
[0054] FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-section taken along line 3-3 of
FIG. 2, showing the multi-layer sidewall of the container;
[0055] FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-section of a blow molding
apparatus for making the container of FIG. 3;
[0056] FIG. 5 is a graph of dissolved O.sub.2 in a liquid in the
container (ordinate) versus time in weeks (abscissa), for sample
containers filled with deoxygenated water and held at 72.degree. F.
(22.degree. C.) and 50% relative humidity, illustrating the
oxygen-scavenging rate of various prior art containers compared to
a container of the present invention;
[0057] FIG. 6 is an expanded portion of a graph similar to FIG. 5,
showing an initial 40 days, for comparing two sample containers of
the present invention to other containers;
[0058] FIG. 7 is a graph similar to FIGS. 5 and 6 but showing an
initial (14 days) scavenging rate for removal of dissolved O.sub.2
from a liquid in a multi-layer container of this invention which
has been filled with oxygenated water (tap water);
[0059] FIGS. 8A and 8B are two graphs of percent transmittance
(ordinate) versus wavenumbers in cm.sup.-1 (abscissa) showing a
substantial similarity in transmittance between MXD-6 which has not
been solid-stated (8A), and enhanced MXD-6 which has been
solid-stated for 60 hours (8B);
[0060] FIGS. 9A and 9B are two graphs of relative abundance
(ordinate) versus wavelength converted to parts per million (ppm)
(abscissa) for two samples of MXD-6, one of which has not been
solid-stated (9A) and the other of which has been solid-stated for
48 hours (9B);
[0061] FIG. 10 is a graph of GPC output of ultraviolet absorption
at 254 nm (ordinate) versus time in minutes (abscissa) for a
nonsolid-stated sample of MXD-6;
[0062] FIG. 11 is a graph of number average molecular weight Mn
(ordinate) versus time of solid-stating in hours (abscissa) for an
MXD-6 sample;
[0063] FIG. 12 is a graph of weight average molecular weight Mw
(ordinate) versus solid-stating time in hours (abscissa) for an
MXD-6 sample;
[0064] FIG. 13 is a graph of Z average molecular weight Mz
(ordinate) versus solid-stating time in hours (abscissa) for a
sample of MXD-6;
[0065] FIG. 14 is a graph of intrinsic viscosity (ordinate) versus
solid-stating time in hours (abscissa) for various samples of
MXD-6;
[0066] FIGS. 15A-15D are graphs of percent oxygen content
(ordinate) versus time in days (ordinate) for various
injection-molded plaque samples made from polyamide and cobalt,
with and without solid-stating;
[0067] FIG. 16 shows a method of making an aromatic ester
oxygen-scavenging polymer from bisphenol A diacetate and adipic
acid;
[0068] FIG. 17 is a bar graph of dissolved oxygen concentration
after 9 weeks (ordinate) versus solid-stating time (abscissa) for
containers including enhanced polyamide and cobalt and filled with
tank water;
[0069] FIG. 18 is a bar graph of a percent oxygen reduction
(ordinate) after 54 days by injection-molded plaque samples made
from polyamide with various cobalt concentrations, under dry
conditions;
[0070] FIG. 19 is a bar graph of a percent oxygen reduction
(ordinate) after 54 days by injection-molded plaque samples made
from polyamide with various cobalt concentrations, under wet
conditions;
[0071] FIG. 20 is a graph showing the effect of cobalt
concentration on oxygen content for 5-layer bottles made according
to the present invention; and
[0072] FIGS. 21-22 are similar bar graphs to FIGS. 18-19.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0073] The present invention relates in various aspects to enhanced
oxygen-scavenging materials, a solid-stating process for enhancing
the oxygen-scavenging rate of such materials, and plastic
containers that incorporate such materials whereby an actual
reduction in the enclosed oxygen content is achieved.
[0074] With prior art glass containers, because glass is
effectively impermeable to oxygen, any oxygen ingress is believed
to occur through the interface been the glass container and the lid
or cap. The rate of oxygen ingress due to cap leakage in a glass
beverage container is believed to be about 2.1 ppb O.sub.2 per day
(see FIG. 5).
[0075] Because polymers that are completely impermeable to oxygen
are largely unknown, some oxygen will always enter a plastic
container through the polymer wall, causing an increase in the
oxygen concentration within the container over time. The rate of
increase is related to the oxygen barrier property of the polymer.
In the prior art, improvements in performance with either active or
passive barrier polymers are reported in terms of an overall
increase in oxygen content over time.
[0076] According to a preferred embodiment, one advantageous
feature of the present invention over prior art oxygen-scavenging
materials is that packages made from the enhanced scavenger of the
present invention are actually capable of removing oxygen from the
inside of the package faster than external oxygen is allowed to
enter the package. Thus, "oxygen-scavenging" as now defined herein
refers to any process by which oxygen is "removed" from an enclosed
environment. For example, oxygen-scavenging results in a reduction
of oxygen in a closed package. A material capable of
oxygen-scavenging, i.e., an "oxygen-scavenger", can remove oxygen
from the defined environment chemically and/or by physical
absorption. Chemical removal of oxygen molecules can occur by
oxidation of the scavenger (e.g., forming a chemical bond between
at least one oxygen atom of the oxygen molecule and a molecule of
the scavenger). Physical removal of oxygen typically refers to a
physical absorption by the scavenger, for example, where the oxygen
molecules are physically entrapped within the scavenger itself.
[0077] An "enclosed oxygen content" refers to an amount of oxygen
present in a sealed package, e.g., container. In some applications,
e.g., for storing an oxygen-sensitive solid product, the relevant
enclosed oxygen content may be the oxygen concentration of the
atmosphere within the container. In other applications, e.g., where
the container is used for storing a liquid, the relevant enclosed
oxygen content may be the oxygen concentration of the liquid. The
oxygen enclosed within a container can depend on factors other than
transmission through a plastic wall. For example, there can be
leakage through the connection between the cap and bottle.
Generally it is desirable to minimize any such leakage by selection
of a specific bottle and cap pair. For example, an "Alcoa aluminum
cap" having a non-reactive lining (i.e., compatible with the
composition of the bottle) is widely used to minimize leakage of
oxygen into plastic containers (available from Silgan Containers
Mfg. Corp., 1701 Williamsburg Pike, Richmond, Ind., USA, product
R034831, liner EVA300, 28 mm rolled on pilfer-proof cap).
[0078] In one embodiment, a package is provided for an aqueous
liquid product, the package having a wall including an
oxygen-scavenging polymeric composition such that an enclosed
oxygen content is reduced. "Aqueous liquid" refers to any liquid
having a substantial concentration of water. Examples of aqueous
liquids include juice, tomato sauce, soy sauce, and an alcoholic
beverage that contains a significant portion of water, e.g., beer,
wine or other liquor.
[0079] A "wall" comprises a single layer or multiple layers
(multi-layer) and the thickness of the wall is the thickness of the
single layer or a total thickness of the multiple layers. In one
embodiment, the wall comprises a multi-layer which includes at
least one oxygen-scavenging layer. Preferably each layer in the
multi-layer comprises a polymer and the multi-layer article is
injection-molded. In a preferred embodiment, the oxygen-scavenging
layer is an internal layer between exterior structural polymer
layers. The structural layers provide mechanical strength and in
preferred embodiments act as an "oxygen barrier" to limit the
transmission of oxygen through the container, at least from the
exterior.
[0080] Exposing the oxygen-scavenging layer to air may cause
degradation and/or depletion of the oxygen-scavenger. By embedding
the scavenger between oxygen-barrier layers, the barrier can serve
to prevent a significant amount of oxygen from contacting the
oxygen-scavenger, at least prior to filling the container with the
intended product. Once filled, interior oxygen can permeate through
the inner structural layer(s) and be removed by the scavenger.
[0081] Solid-Stating Process
[0082] As used herein, "solid-stating" refers to a process where a
polymer is exposed to heat under an atmosphere having a low oxygen
content (i.e., an oxygen content less than that of air) in order to
enhance the oxygen removal rate (hereinafter referred to as "oxygen
scavenging performance") of the polymer. The solid-stating process
should preferably enhance the oxygen-scavenging performance of the
polyamide by a factor of 1.3 for a given metal content and a given
period of time. During solid stating, a low oxygen-content
atmosphere can be provided by flushing the environment around the
polymer with an inert gas, or by subjecting the polymer to reduced
pressure conditions (e.g., by subjecting the polymer to a vacuum).
Because the polymer is exposed to heat during the solid-stating
process, the presence of excess oxygen may cause the polymer to
undergo oxidation reactions. These oxidation reactions may result
in thermal degradation of the polymer and this degradation may be
observed as a discoloration of the polymer. Thus, performing the
solid-stating process under a low oxygen-content atmosphere can
reduce the amount of polymer degradation by reducing the extent of
oxidation. In addition, the polymer can be heated at a higher
temperature when in a low oxygen-content atmosphere, which can
provide a greater rate of enhancement of the oxygen-scavenging
performance. Preferably, the low oxygen content environment is no
greater than 10% oxygen.
[0083] In one embodiment, the solid-stating process involves
heating the polymer to a temperature greater than the glass
transition temperature of the polymer and less than the melting
point temperature of the polymer. Where the polymer is a
crystalline aromatic polyamide (such as MXD-6), the solid-stating
process involves heating the polyamide to a temperature from
150.degree. C. to 210.degree. C. In one embodiment, the upper
temperature for the solid-stating process is a temperature at which
the polymer begins to coagulate or form lumps. For example, it has
been found that MXD-6 may coagulate at a temperature of 210.degree.
C. In another embodiment, the upper temperature for the
solid-stating process is a temperature at which the polymer starts
to decompose.
[0084] In one embodiment, the solid-stating process involves
heating the polymer in an inert gas such as argon or nitrogen. In
another embodiment, the polymer can be heated under a vacuum
comprising a pressure of no greater than 15 torr, preferably a
pressure of no greater than 10 torr, more preferably a pressure of
no greater than 1 torr, and even more preferably a pressure of no
greater than 0.1 torr.
[0085] In one embodiment, the solid-stating process occurs over a
time period of at least 4 hours (h), preferably at least 8 h, more
preferably at least 24 h, and still more preferably at least 48
h.
[0086] Other processes can be used to treat the polymer in
combination with the solid-stating process. For example, prior to
solid-stating, the polymer can be air dried or vacuum dried or
both. Air drying typically involves flushing the polymer with air.
Vacuum drying involves subjecting the polymer to a vacuum. The
vacuum drying can be accompanied by a mild heating process where
the polymer is heated to a temperature of less than the glass
transition temperature. For example, a polyamide can be vacuum
dried in a temperature range of 50.degree. C. to 150.degree. C.
[0087] It is understood that the solid-stating conditions can
depend on a combination of factors such as temperature, time and a
particular pressure to achieve a desired oxygen-scavenging
performance. For example, with a polymer such as MXD6,
solid-stating at 0.1 torr for 6 hours at 205.degree. C. can provide
a scavenger with moderately enhanced scavenger capabilities.
Alternatively, moderately enhanced scavenging performance can also
be obtained by solid-stating MXD-6 at 0.1 torr for 48 hours at
150.degree. C. (a combination of lower temperature but longer
time). Various factors such as cost, equipment, etc., may dictate
which parameters should be minimized (e.g., solid-stating time,
temperature, or oxygen-scavenging performance) and accordingly, the
appropriate solid-stating parameters can be determined to achieve
the desired results.
[0088] The solid-stating method can provide several advantages. In
one embodiment, solid-stating results in the polymer having a
higher crystalline form. "Crystalline form," as used herein refers
to a state where substantial portions of the polymer have atoms
arranged in a regular, ordered array, as understood by those of
ordinary skill in the art. Typically, a polymer in a crystalline
form has a higher melting temperature than an amorphous polymer,
and this higher melting temperature allows the polymer to be
solid-stated at a higher temperature, where higher temperature
solid-stating processes can provide an even greater enhancement of
the oxygen-scavenging performance. When the polymer is an amorphous
polymer, the crystalline form can be induced prior to solid-stating
by heating; this pre-solid-stating heating step may also be
performed under a vacuum.
[0089] Other advantages of the solid-stating process may involve
purifying the oxygen-scavenging polymer by removing volatile
compounds, such as water or organic compounds, that were initially
present in the polymer.
[0090] The Metal
[0091] The enhanced oxygen-scavenging performance of certain
polymers depends on the presence of a metal (although the metal
need not be present during solid stating). The metal can be added
in the form of the metal itself, as a salt or as a metal compound.
In a preferred embodiment, the oxygen-scavenger comprises a polymer
and a metal where the metal is added as a metal compound. Metal
compounds typically comprise two components: a metal and a ligand
which bonds to the metal and generally a substantial portion of the
ligand is organic.
[0092] In one embodiment, the metal can be added to the polymer as
a liquid, a solution mixture, in a crystalline form, as a pastille,
or as a powder depending on factors such as processing conditions.
Typically, the metal is mixed with the polymer to create a physical
blend. The oxygen-scavenger, however, can eventually comprise a
chemical bond between the metal and the scavenger or the ligand of
the metal compound and the scavenger where a chemical reaction
occurs in the physical blend of the metal compound and the
scavenging polymer. In other words, once the metal compound is
processed with a polymer, the metal compound can be present in the
oxygen-scavenging polymer as the same initial metal compound, a new
metal compound, a salt or a metal atom. A new metal compound can
occur where at least a portion of the ligand no longer forms a
chemical bond with the metal and a new ligand bonds to the metal.
The new ligand can be the oxygen-scavenging polymer, or any other
components such as water, or any other organic component such as an
organic component that results as a by-product of scavenging
polymer degradation. Preferably, the initial metal compound is
available in a stable form, i.e., the metal compound is unreactive
towards oxygen before addition of the compound to the
oxygen-scavenging polymer.
[0093] The amount of metal present in the polymer is defined
relative to the amount by weight in the polymer. It is understood
that the desired metal concentration can depend on a variety of
factors or a combination of these factors such as molecular weight
of the metal, molecular weight of the entire metal compound,
polymer type or molecular weight of the polymer. In one embodiment,
the metal (e.g., cobalt) is present in an amount of at least 200
ppm based on the scavenging polymer, more preferably from 200 ppm
to 2000 ppm, even more preferably from 300 ppm to 1000 ppm, and
still more preferably from 400 ppm to 800 ppm. The lower limits of
the metal concentration may be determined by a desired level of
oxygen-scavenging performance (i.e., insufficient concentrations of
metal may not achieve a desired scavenging performance for a given
application) and processability. The upper limit may be determined
by factors such as cost, toxicity, transparency, color, or
processability, depending on the particular application. See for
example the plaque test results in Example 12 and the 5-layer
bottle results in FIG. 20.
[0094] In one embodiment, the polymer is solid-stated in the
presence of the metal. In another embodiment, the metal is added to
(blended with) the solid-stated polymer, after solid stating.
Preferably, the metal is added in a manner to prevent the
incorporation of excess oxygen and water to the solid-stated
polymer. Thus, the metal in solid form (e.g., powder, pellets,
pastilles) can be dry tumbled in a sealed container with the
solid-stated polymer. In one embodiment the metal is added after
solid stating but in the same vessel used to solid-state the
polymer; this reduces the opportunity for moisture to be added when
mixing the metal and polyamide. During a tumbling or agitation
process, the solid-stated polymer and metal can be heated, and the
heating step can be coupled with subjecting the polymer and metal
to a vacuum. This heating step can facilitate uniform distribution
of the metal about the polymer, and further enhancements in
scavenging performance. The temperature of this optional post
solid-stating heating step is less than the temperature that would
cause decomposition of the metal and polymer and more preferably
less than T.sub.g. For example, when combining a nylon (such as
MXD-6) and cobalt, this temperature is no greater than 130.degree.
C. and more preferably no greater than 70.degree. C.
[0095] In one embodiment, the metal is a transition metal. The
transition metal can be selected from the group consisting of iron,
cobalt, nickel, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium,
platinum, copper, manganese and zinc. In a preferred embodiment,
the metal is cobalt and more preferably is added as a cobalt
carboxylate compound. One example of a cobalt carboxylate compound
is cobalt neodecanoate.
[0096] Performance Tests
[0097] One screening test ("the wet plaque test") to determine an
effective oxygen-scavenging composition of the present invention
involves preparing injection-molded plaques of the composition.
Each plaque has dimensions of 6.25 inches (158.75 mm) long by 1.75
inches (44.45 m) wide and having five equal sections with
increasing stepped thicknesses of 0.04 in (1 mm), 0.07 in (1.78
mm), 0.10 in (2.54 mm), 0.13 in (3.3 mm), 0.16 in (4.06 mm). Seven
plaques are enclosed in a 32-ounce glass jar and one ounce of water
added under ambient air (21% oxygen at 23.degree. C.). The plaques
rest on a platform above the water in the jar. The jar is capped
with a standard canning jar lid, having a rubber septum. A syringe
is inserted through the septum to withdraw a gas sample from the
jar; the gas sample is injected into a Mocon model PacCheck 450
Head Space Analyzer to measure the oxygen content (available from
Mocon Modern Controls, 7500 Boone Ave North, Minneapolis, Minn.
55428 USA). After measuring an initial oxygen content (typically
21.3%), subsequent measurements should be taken over a period of
several weeks. Effective oxygen scavengers will reduce the oxygen
concentration in the jar to 19% or less within 54 days (see Table
6B).
[0098] Another screening test for effective oxygen-scavenging
performance as encompassed by the present invention involves the
same wet plaque test described above, but the results are analyzed
in terms of slopes. A graph of measured oxygen content vs. time is
prepared. The slopes of these plots provide an index (slope) to
compare relative rates of oxygen-scavenging. For example, when a
solid-stated oxygen-scavenger exhibits an enhanced
oxygen-scavenging performance over its non-solid-stated
counterpart, its slope is at least 1.3 times greater than that of
the non-solid-stated counterpart.
[0099] The enhanced oxygen-scavenging performance may alternatively
be determined in select embodiments by finding an oxygen-scavenging
performance for a solid-stated polymer with a given metal content
that is greater than that of the corresponding non-solid-stated
polymer/metal by a factor of at least 1.3, preferably by a factor
of at least 2, and more preferably 4 times or more.
[0100] Package Storage and Shelf Life
[0101] It is a surprising feature that certain oxygen-scavenging
articles of the present invention are capable of being stored in
the presence of an excess of oxygen, such as air, for a significant
period of time (e.g., 3 months, preferably 6 months) without
substantial loss of scavenging performance when thereafter filled
with a product. Thus, another aspect of the present invention
provides a multi-layer package that is substantially free of
degradation under ambient conditions for a time of at least three
months. "Substantially free of degradation" refers to a package
that maintains a designated scavenging performance (when filled) to
reduce the oxygen content within a defined environment, such as the
oxygen content enclosed within the package. Degradative effects can
arise from oxidative or other unwanted processes. In one
embodiment, the multi-layer package has at least one
oxygen-scavenging layer embedded within two biaxially-oriented
structural polymer layers, an arrangement which helps withstand
degradative effects. The package is capable of being stored under
ambient conditions and being substantially free of degradation
within a time of at least three months and more preferably at least
six months. "Ambient conditions" refers to an atmosphere of 21%
oxygen (air) and a relative humidity of 50% at 23.degree. C.
[0102] Another aspect of the present invention provides a package
for enclosing an aqueous liquid that provides the package with an
enhanced oxygen-removal rate upon being filled with the liquid.
While not wishing to be bound by any theory, it appears that a
component of the aqueous liquid is capable of activating the
enhanced oxygen-scavenging performance of the scavenging layer.
This non-limiting theory may reconcile two seemingly contradictory
events: that a package incorporating an oxygen-scavenging layer can
be stored for at least three months in air while being
substantially free of degradation, and yet upon being filled with
an aqueous liquid, exhibit scavenging activity. In one embodiment,
the package enclosing the aqueous liquid has an oxygen-removal rate
greater than an oxygen-removal rate of a dry package (see FIGS.
18-19).
[0103] In one embodiment, a structural layer is positioned between
the oxygen-scavenging layer and the liquid; the structural layer is
permeable to a component of the aqueous liquid, allowing the
aqueous liquid to activate the oxygen-scavenger.
[0104] In another embodiment, the present invention provides a
composition comprising an oxygen-scavenging layer positioned
adjacent a polymeric structural layer, the structural layer being
water-saturated. "Water-saturated" refers to a polymeric
composition that is permeable to water upon contact with a source
of water, such as an aqueous beverge.
[0105] In one embodiment, the component of the aqueous liquid
capable of enhancing oxygen-scavenging performance is selected from
the group consisting of water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, volatile
organic compounds, low molecular weight oligomers and trace
impurities. In a preferred embodiment, the component is water.
[0106] Layer Compatibility
[0107] According to another feature of the invention, the
solid-stating method provides an enhanced oxygen-scavenging polymer
that can be processed to form a variety of multi-layer articles.
One indication of processability is intrinsic viscosity, which in
turn affects melt viscosity (another process parameter). Intrinsic
viscosity (IV) reflects the molecular weight and may reflect the
shape of the polymer molecule itself. For example, rod-shaped
polymer molecules have a different intrinsic viscosity than
spherical molecules for molecules of the same molecular weight, as
is well-known in the art.
[0108] Intrinsic viscosity can be determined from inherent
viscosity measurements for resins, such as polyester resins. For
example, applying the procedure of ASTM D-4603-91, and employing
PET soluble at 0.50% concentration in a 60/40
phenol/1,1,2,3-tetrachloroethane solution at 30.degree. C., the
inherent viscosity data can be determined and then converted to
intrinsic viscosity using the Billmeyer relationship (see ASTM
4603-91, section 11). Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) having an
intrinsic viscosity of about 0.8 is widely used in the carbonated
soft drink (CSD) industry. Polyester resins for various
applications may range from about 0.55 to about 1.04, and more
particularly from about 0.65 to 0.85 dl/g. As used herein PET is
meant to include PET homopolymers and copolymers.
[0109] A conventional parameter for processability is melt
viscosity, as indicated by a melt index. "Melt index" can generally
be defined as a number of grams of polymer that can be forced
through an orifice of a standard unit at a specified temperature
and pressure over a defined period of time. The melt index can be
measured according to ASTM Method D-1238-94a. For example, using a
2.16 kg load and at 215.degree. C., Shell 8006 virgin PET has a
melt index of 29 g/10 minutes (available from Shell Chemical Co.,
Houston, Tex.). The polymers as used herein (oxygen-scavenging
polymers and biaxially-oriented polyester polymers) are high
molecular weight polymers, having a molecular weight of at least
about 45,000, for which the melt viscosity is an important process
parameter. If the melt viscosity is too high, it is not possible to
push the polymer through an injection manifold fast enough to
produce commercially acceptable preforms. Another important
parameter reflected by melt index is melt strength; if the melt
strength is too low, it is not possible to maintain layer integrity
in a multi-layer structure having one or more relatively thin
layers. Generally, as the molecular weight of the polymer
increases, both the melt viscosity and melt strength increase. For
multi-layer applications, those skilled in the art can determine an
appropriate combination of melt viscosity and melt strength for a
scavenging polymer layer positioned adjacent layers of other
polymer-types.
[0110] In the situation where a structural layer is positioned
adjacent an oxygen-scavenging layer in the absence of an adhesive,
it is preferable that the two layers be "compatible." Compatibility
implies that the multi-layer article, having at least two layers
positioned adjacent each other, have the structural integrity to
withstand delamination, observable deformation from a desired
shape, or any kind of degradation of a layer caused by a chemical
or other process initiated by an adjacent layer during the
article-forming process or in the final product during expected
use. Compatibility can be enhanced by selecting intrinsic
viscosities, melt viscosities, melt indices and solubility
parameters that allow one of ordinary skill in the art to achieve
desired bottle characteristics. If a recyclable bottle is desired,
then the layers should readily separate when the bottle is cut to
enable separate processing of the different materials.
[0111] For a multi-layer article incorporating an oxygen-scavenger
and a structural polymer, it is preferred that the melt index of
the scavenger, e.g., polyamide, is less than that of the structural
polymer, e.g., PET. The melt index of the scavenger should also
take into account the increase in melt index that can occur for
example when a metal (e.g., cobalt) is added. Thus, one aspect of
the present invention provides a method for adjusting a melt index
of a polymer such as a polyamide, by adding a metal to the
polyamide in a specified amount to achieve a polyamide having an
increased melt index. The method presents an advantageous feature
of adjusting a melt index of the polyamide to allow it to be
compatible with other polymers especially in a multi-layer article.
In one embodiment, the metal is cobalt.
[0112] In one example, the melt index of PET going into the
injection mold is 30 g/10 min. and the melt index of MXD-6 with
cobalt is 20 g/10 min. Before the addition of cobalt, the melt
index of the MXD-6 is 10 g/10 min. The melt index of the scavenger
can increase further in the injection molding machine. The extent
of this increase depends on factors that may vary for different
injection mold units, such as the residence time of the scavenger
in the injection mold and the temperature that the scavenger is
subjected to in the injection mold. In one embodiment, a polyamide
oxygen-scavenging polymer has a melt index of from 10 g/10 min. to
15 g/10 min before the addition of cobalt, when used with adjacent
PET layers.
[0113] It is further noted that solid-stating can provide
enhanced-oxygen scavenging independent of any substantial increase
in intrinsic viscosity. As discussed in greater detail in Example
10 below, an initially large increase in oxygen-scavenging
performance can be observed within the initial 8 h of the
oxygen-scavenger being exposed to the solid-stating process. During
this time interval, the increase in IV is relatively small compared
to the improvement in oxygen-scavenging performance.
[0114] In one embodiment, the solid-stating process causes an
increase in intrinsic viscosity of the scavenging polymer. For use
in a sequential injection molding process with adjacent layers of
PET, the scavenging polymer can be a polyamide such as MXD-6; the
polyamide should preferably have an intrinsic viscosity from 1.7 to
2.0, more preferably from 1.73 to 2.0, more preferably still from
1.75 to 1.9, and even more preferably still from 1.80 to 1.86; all
of these values are obtained when the intrinsic viscosity
measurements are performed with m-cresol solvent. These desired IV
values for MXD-6 are before the addition of the metal. When a metal
such as cobalt is added to the solid-stated polymer, the IV may be
reduced. A skilled person can select a desired IV range for the
particular scavenger (polymer and metal) when injected or extruded
with adjacent layers of particular structural polymers.
[0115] In addition to a match of IV, the process compatibility of
the scavenging polymer and an adjacent polymer can further be
indicated by the respective glass transition temperatures (T.sub.g)
of the two polymer-types, whereby the polymers can be processed in
the same temperature range without loss of transparency. Solubility
parameters can provide another factor in considering
compatibility.
[0116] Transparency
[0117] Another advantageous feature of the oxygen-scavenging
package of the present invention is transparency. In one
embodiment, only a portion of a package need be transparent. For
example, in a beverage container the container should at least have
a transparent sidewall because typically a consumer views the
contents of the bottle through the sidewall (as opposed to the base
or the neck finish). Of course, completely transparent bottles
including a transparent base and neck finish are also encompassed
by the present invention.
[0118] In some applications, the package may include coloring dyes
which reduce the transparency. As used herein, a "transparent" wall
or article refers to the wall or article without dyes.
[0119] As used herein transparency is determined by the percent
haze for transmitted light through the wall (H.sub.T) which is
given by the following formula:
H.sub.T=[Y.sub.d.div.(Y.sub.d+Y.sub.s)].times.100
[0120] where Y.sub.d is the diffuse light transmitted by the
thickness of the specimen, and Y.sub.s is the specular light
transmitted by the thickness of the specimen. The diffuse and
specular light transmission values are measured in accordance with
ASTM Method D 1003, using any standard color difference meter such
as model D25D3P manufactured by Hunterlab, Inc., Reston, Va.,
U.S.A. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the package and
preferably at least the sidewall should have a percent haze
(through the wall) of no greater than 10%, more preferably no
greater than 7% and more preferably still, no greater than 5%.
[0121] Scavenging Polymers
[0122] A preferred class of oxygen-scavenging polymers is defined
as a polymer having a repeat unit including a carbonyl. The repeat
unit of the oxygen-scavenging polymer can also include aromatic or
aliphatic groups in the polymer backbone or a side chain;
"backbone" is defined as the longest, continuous bond pathway in
the polymer. The repeat unit preferably has at least one hydrogen
atom alpha to the carbonyl. The oxygen-scavenging polymer can be a
homopolymer, a random copolymer, an alternating copolymer, a block
copolymer, or a blend. Preferably, the scavenging polymer will form
a transparent layer. The scavenger may include other functional
groups as long as the compatibility with other polymers is
maintained when the oxygen-scavenging polymer is incorporated in a
multi-layer article.
[0123] In one embodiment, the oxygen-scavenging polymer has a
repeat unit including an amide group, also known as a polyamide. An
amide is defined as having a unit --RN--C(O)-- where R can be
hydrogen, alkyl or aryl. In a preferred embodiment, the polyamide
is a nylon where the backbone includes aromatic and/or aliphatic
groups. Examples include MXD-6, nylon 6, or nylon 6,6. In one
preferred embodiment, the backbone includes aromatic groups derived
from xylidene monomers which include m-xylidene, i.e.,
MXD-polyamides. One example of an MXD-polyamide can be formed by
polymerizing meta-xylylene-diamine
(H.sub.2NCH.sub.2-m-C.sub.6H.sub.4--CH- .sub.2NH.sub.2) with adipic
acid (HO.sub.2C(CH.sub.2).sub.4CO.sub.2H), to produce the polymer
MXD-6 (sold by Mitsubishi Chemicals, Japan). Another example of an
aromatic polyamide is obtained by the polymerization of
meta-xylilene-diamine and adipic acid (same as MXD-6) but with the
addition of 11 mole percent isophthalic acid
(C.sub.6H.sub.4--(COOH).sub.- 2). This polymer is sold by EMS of
Domat/EMS, Switzerland. An example of an aliphatic polyamide is
nylon-6 (PA 6)(see FIG. 15D). Typically, amorphous polyamides have
a T.sub.g of from 90.degree. C. and 150.degree. C.
[0124] In one embodiment, the oxygen-scavenging polymer is a
polyester. A preferred aromatic ester scavenging polymer is
described in commonly-owned and copending PCT Application No.
US97/16826 filed Sep. 24, 1997, entitled "Transparent
Oxygen-scavenging Article Including Biaxially-Oriented Polyester,
And Method Of Making The Same," published on Apr. 2, 1998 as WO
98/13266 (docket no. C0762/7217WO), which is hereby incorporated by
reference in its entirety.
[0125] In one embodiment, the oxygen-scavenging polymer is a
polyketone, also referred to as poly(olefin-ketones), which are
linear, alternating copolymers having a repeat unit including the
group: 1
[0126] where R.sup.1-R.sup.3 can be the same or different and each
can be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, an organic
side chain, or a silicon-containing side chain. The simplest member
of this class of polyketones is the alternating copolymer of
ethylene and carbon monoxide (E/CO). It is possible to introduce a
second olefinic monomer into the polymerization, such as propylene,
which will substitute randomly for ethylene, and in alternation
with carbon monoxide, to produce the terpolymer
poly(ethylene-alt-carbon monoxide)-stat-(propylene-alt-carbon
monoxide) (hereinafter E/P/CO terpolymer).
[0127] Structural Polymers
[0128] Generally, at least one other layer will function as a
structural polymer layer in the situation where the
oxygen-scavenging layer by itself cannot maintain the desired
structural integrity of the article. Desirable features of
structural polymers include any one or a combination of the
following: unreactive towards oxygen, water or any organic
component; suitable for contact with food; permeable to oxygen
under select conditions; functional as a passive barrier layer to
prevent a substantial amount of oxygen from the outer environment
(outside of the package) reaching the oxygen-scavenging layer. In
one embodiment, the structural polymer is selected from the group
consisting of polyesters and polyolefins. In a preferred
embodiment, the structural polymer is an aromatic polyester. An
important feature of the structural polymer is biaxial orientation
which in addition to improving the mechanical strength may also
improve the oxygen barrier property. In one embodiment, the
structural polymer is PET and is biaxially stretched (for example
in a bottle sidewall) at a planar stretch ratio of from 7.times. to
14.times., preferably from 8.times. to 12.times.. The ability to
affect permeability properties through biaxial orientation may have
an effect on the overall scavenging performance of a multi-layer
article where the structural layers form outer and inner exterior
layers and the scavenging layer is an interior layer, i.e., the
overall performance is based on the rate of oxygen removal from the
interior of the container (where oxygen can permeate the inner
structural layer to reach the scavenging layer and where the rate
of removal exceeds a rate at which exterior oxygen can permeate to
the interior of the package).
[0129] Generally, the glass transition temperature T.sub.g of a
polyester used in a commercial plastic container is at least
5.degree. C. above the ambient use temperature, e.g., if a beverage
bottle will be used in an environment where the temperature may
reach 35.degree. C., the polymer should have a T.sub.g of at least
40.degree. C. or the polymer may melt (no longer be a solid
article). The T.sub.g also determines the temperature above which
an aromatic polyester can be heated to enable biaxial stretching.
For example, PET has a T.sub.g of 70.degree. C., and PEN has a
T.sub.g of 120.degree. C. For ease of processing, the polymers are
typically stretched in an orientation temperature range at least
20.degree. C. above T.sub.g (e.g., at least 90.degree. C. for PET,
at least 140.degree. C. for PEN, and varying with the copolymer
content). It may be desirable for the scavenging polymer to have a
T.sub.g below the orientation temperature of the polyester which is
to be biaxially oriented (e.g., PET or PEN), but not so far below
that the scavenging polymer will crystallize (become nontransparent
or opaque) during the orientation process. In such case the T.sub.g
of the scavenging polymer would be at least 10.degree. C. below the
orientation temperature used to biaxially orient the polyester. A
preferred range of T.sub.g for a scavenging polymer having an
amorphous nature (i.e., not crystallizing more than 3% under any
conditions) is 0-15.degree. C. below the T.sub.g of the polyester,
more preferably 3-7.degree. C. below, and most preferably 5.degree.
C. below. A preferred range of T.sub.g for a crystallizable
scavenging polymer is 0-15.degree. C. above the T.sub.g of the
polyester, more preferably 3-7.degree. C. above, and most
preferably about 5.degree. C. above. Relative ratios of monomers in
a copolymer can be varied to adjust the T.sub.g of the scavenging
polymer. In one embodiment, increasing the aromatic groups in the
backbone of a polyester scavenging or structural polymer will
increase the T.sub.g; a desired T.sub.g enables biaxial orientation
of adjacent polyester layers while maintaining transparency of the
overall article.
[0130] Packages and Multi-Layer Articles
[0131] Packages of the present invention include articles for
storing food or other products; the package can be a blow-molded
container, an injection-molded container, and a film (e.g., for
wrapping meat, vegetable, fruit). The intended application will
dictate the desired package characteristics; for example, a film
for wrapping food will not have the same rigidity requirements as a
plastic bottle. However, the film thickness may be greater than
typical (for nonscavenging applications) in order to provide the
desired scavenging performance.
[0132] The thicknesses of the oxygen-scavenging and structural
layers will generally effect the oxygen-scavenging performance of
the package. Generally, multi-layer articles having thicker
scavenging layers result in a better scavenging performance. Other
factors however, may provide an upper limit to scavenging layer
thickness. For example, in commercial applications it is generally
desired that the cost of the oxygen-scavenging layer be minimized.
The cost of incorporating a polyamide into a multi-layer container
can be significant compared to a container made solely of
polyethylene terephthalate. The methods and articles of the present
invention can be used to achieve a cost reduction by, for example,
providing one or more relatively thin scavenging layers (compared
to the overall thickness of the article). In one embodiment, by
using separate oxygen-scavenging layers as opposed to blends (of
the scavenger and other polymers), thinner oxygen-scavenging layers
may be used with thicker structural layers and subsequently cost is
minimized while processing conditions and/or final bottle
characteristics are optimized. Where the oxygen-scavenging layer
includes a metal, a relatively high concentration of metal can be
incorporated in the separate layer. In contrast, a blend will
typically have a lower concentration of metal spread over a thicker
layer (but have a higher metal concentration in the overall
package).
[0133] It has been found that for some applications, optimizing the
amount of metal and oxygen-scavenging polymer in a relatively
thinner portion of an article optimizes the oxygen-scavenging
performance. For example, when two thin intermediate layers of an
oxygen-scavenging polymer are incorporated in a 5-layer injection
molded preform for making a bottle, as described hereinafter, where
the scavenging layers comprise a solid-stated polyamide and cobalt,
if the amount of cobalt is greater than 1000 ppm (based on the
polyamide weight) and/or the weight of the scavenging polymer in
the preform is no greater than 10% by weight, it may be difficult
to provide a desired concentration of cobalt and/or amount of
oxygen-scavenging polymer in the relatively thin sidewall portion
of the container. One reason for this is that cobalt will decrease
the IV of the polyamide, thereby affecting the material
distribution of the layers during injection. Thus, depending on the
scavenger used, the composition of adjacent layers, the thicknesses
of the various layers, and the processing technique (simultaneous
injection molding, sequential injection molding, extrusion,
film-forming, etc.), there may be upper and/or lower limits on the
amount of metal used while attempting to achieve a desired
oxygen-scavenging performance.
[0134] In general, the thicknesses of the scavenging/structural
layers are preferably selected to allow the bottle to have a
substantial storage period unfilled and a reasonable rate of
removal of oxygen from the package when filled, both factors being
tailored to the particular food product being stored. The outer
layers should be thick enough to prevent oxygen permeating to the
scavenging layer in an amount in excess of that which can be
removed by the scavenger. The thickness of the inner structural
layer (i.e. the layer closest to the food product) must also be
thin enough to allow the enclosed oxygen content, often having a
low partial pressure of oxygen, to permeate the inner layer at a
commercially acceptable rate allowing for reduction of the oxygen
content. The more active the oxygen scavenger, the less thickness
required of the structural layer. As mentioned previously,
structural layers that are too thin may reduce the storage period
to unacceptable levels.
[0135] In one embodiment, the thickness of the outer and inner
structural layers are the same. This arrangement optimizes the
balance between storage period and scavenging rate. In addition,
the structural layers are preferably permeable to a component of an
aqueous liquid when the package is filled and this component is
capable of enhancing the scavenging rate of the scavenging layer
and/or rate of permeation of oxygen through the inner structural
layer.
[0136] In a preferred embodiment described below, the multi-layer
article can be used as a package, where the package contains a
product that requires storage under low oxygen conditions. For
example, the product can be a food or beverage (e.g., beer, juice,
ketchup) and the multi-layer article can be a bottle having an
opening that can be sealed with a standard cap. The product can
include a pressurized liquid, e.g., by carbon dioxide or nitrogen,
wherein the container maintains the product pressure and maintains
a low oxygen content.
[0137] Typically, a multi-layer container such as a bottle is a
blow-molded article made from an injection-molded multi-layer
preform. The preform may comprise a neck finish, a sidewall-forming
portion and a base-forming portion. The multiple layers of the
preform can be formed by any method known in the art. In one
embodiment, the multi-layer preform can be formed by applying or
injecting various materials individually (sequentially) into a
mold. In another embodiment, the multi-layer preform can be formed
by simultaneous injection of the desired layers into the mold. In
another embodiment, where the container is a film for wrapping
food, the multi-layer can be formed by co-extruding multi-layer
sheets. Certain techniques encompassed by at least some of these
various embodiments for forming multi-layer articles are described
in U.S. Pat. No. 5,281,360 (Hong et al.), which is hereby
incorporated by reference in its entirety.
[0138] In a preferred embodiment, the preform has a particular
multi-layer arrangement such that when the preform is formed into a
bottle, a significant portion of the oxygen-scavenging layer is
contained in the thinnest portion of the bottle, namely the
sidewall. In some applications, substantially the entire container
body (below the neck finish) includes a layer of the
oxygen-scavenging polymer. As previously discussed, it has been
found that the choice of polymers and polymer processing conditions
can affect the location of a significant portion of the
oxygen-scavenging layer.
[0139] In a preferred 5-layer embodiment, the bottle has two
intermediate oxygen-scavenging layers (polyamide/cobalt) positioned
between inner, core, and outer structural polymer layers (PET)--see
e.g., the 5-layer bottle of FIGS. 1-4 described below. Typically,
the neck finish and/or base of the container will have a thicker
structural layer. Where a portion of the container has a thicker
structural layer, a lesser thickness of the scavenger layer (than
in the other bottle portions) may prove to be adequate. In the
5-layer embodiment, the oxygen-scavenging polymer/layer is
preferably no greater than 15% by weight of the bottle, while
providing sufficient scavenger in the sidewall for a desired
performance. Preferably, from a cost perspective, the weight
percentage of the scavenger is no greater than 10%, e.g., 5-8%. In
some applications, the scavenger could be 2-5% by weight.
[0140] Surprisingly, it has been found that for storage purposes,
it is preferable to store the multi-layer article as a bottle,
rather than a preform. In contrast, many prior art teachings
recommend storing the article as a preform, and then blow-molding
the bottle immediately prior to use (filling). For example, bottles
of this invention stored (unfilled) for up to 233 days still
maintain excellent scavenging properties when filled with an
aqueous liquid, whereas the scavenging performance decreases when
preforms of this invention have been stored for a comparable amount
of time. While not wishing to be bound by any theory, it is
believed that the preform versus bottle effect may arise from the
biaxial orientation of the PET structural layers in the bottle
which reduces the oxygen permeability.
[0141] In a 5-layer beverage bottle application as described
herein, a thickness of each of two oxygen-scavenging layers in the
sidewall-forming portion of the preform is preferably from 0.001 to
0.01 in. (0.0254 mm to 0.254 mm), and more preferably from 0.004 to
0.005 in. (0.102 mm to 0.127 mm). A total thickness of the preform
is preferably from 0.1 to 0.3 in. (2.54 mm to 5.08 mm), and more
preferably from 0.14 to 0.17 in. (3.56 mm to 4.32 mm). The
thickness of each structural polymer layer (inner, core, outer) is
preferably from 0.01 to 0.1 in. (0.254 mm to 2.54 mm), and more
preferably from 0.03 to 0.08 in. (0.762 mm to 2.03 mm).
Alternatively, the two scavenger layers may be combined into a
single scavenger layer in the sidewall (at double the thickness of
one scavenger layer).
[0142] The resulting bottles (of the 5-layer embodiment) preferably
have an average sidewall thickness from 0.01 to 0.02 in. (0.254 mm
to 0.508 mm). Each of the two oxygen-scavenging layers in the
sidewall has a thickness of preferably from 0.0001 to 0.001 in.
(0.00254 mm to 0.0254 mm), and more preferably from 0.0004 to
0.0006 in. (0.0102 mm to 0.0152 mm). Each structural polymer layer
(inner, core, outer) in the sidewall preferably has a thickness of
from 0.001 to 0.02 in. (0.0254 mm to 0.0508 mm), and more
preferably from 0.003 to 0.008 in. (0.0762 mm to 0.203 mm). Again,
as an alternative, the two separate scavenger layers can be
combined into one (at double the thickness).
[0143] The scavenging performance of this bottle can be determined
by a method which involves filling the bottle with a volume of a
liquid (e.g., water), sealing the bottle, storing the liquid in the
bottle for a period of time and monitoring the oxygen content to
ascertain the amount/rate by which the oxygen content is reduced in
the liquid during the storing (see Example 6). By reason of the
enhanced scavenging performance of the present invention, there
will be a reduction in the oxygen content of the liquid in the
plastic bottle. For the purpose of this test it may take some short
time (in hours or one or two days) for the reduction to be
measurable; this would still be considered a case where the oxygen
scavenging occurs immediately upon filling. The time delay for a
measurable reduction may be due to the equipment or measuring
process. Preferably, the reduction from the initial oxygen level is
sustainable for 16 weeks. In contrast, there is an overall gain in
oxygen content in a glass bottle.
[0144] By reducing the oxygen content of the package, it can be
seen that the shelf life of the product can be increased
considerably. A desired reduction of oxygen content (for the
desired shelf life) can be effected by for example selecting an
appropriate metal concentration in the oxygen-scavenging layer. For
example, where the oxygen-scavenging layer comprises a polyamide
such as MXD-6 and cobalt, it has been found that a cobalt
concentration of at least 200 ppm can achieve this reduction of
oxygen in the liquid in the 5-layer embodiment.
[0145] For example, when a 500 ml commercial beer bottle is filled
with beer (3% headspace), the oxygen content of the beer is
typically around 100 ppb. In a multi-layer container of the present
invention, this initial oxygen content (100 ppb) can be reduced
such that the oxygen content is less than 100 ppb over some
extended period of time, more preferably no greater than 50 ppb,
and still more preferably no greater than 25 ppb. In one
embodiment, the oxygen reducing performance is such that the oxygen
content is held at no greater than 25 ppb from the time period of
about one week (after filling) and for the following 16 weeks (see
FIG. 5).
[0146] The method for reducing oxygen content can involve a
component of the liquid, such as water, permeating into one or more
of the structural and oxygen-scavenging layers. This component may
promote transmission of oxygen to the scavenger layer and thus
enhance the scavenging performance. In the 5-layer embodiment, the
two oxygen-scavenging layers are positioned between three
structural polymer layers where one structural layer is an inner
layer that is in contact with the liquid, a second structural layer
is a core layer having opposing sides positioned adjacent the two
oxygen-scavenging layers, and a third structural layer is an outer
layer in contact with air. In this embodiment, the liquid can
permeate the inner structural polymer layer and consequently,
permeate the oxygen-scavenging layer whereby the component of the
liquid can help initiate or enhance the oxygen-scavenging. The
component can be selected from the group consisting of one or more
of water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, volatile organic compounds, low
molecular weight oligomers and trace impurities. The outer polymer
layer, which will typically be in contact with the outside
environment or air, may not be exposed to this component (from the
liquid) that activates the oxygen-scavenging layer, at least not to
the same degree. By this method, the outer layer(s) can prevent
inward oxygen transmission while the inner scavenger layer(s) of
the bottle can be activated to react with oxygen from inside the
container. Furthermore, prior to filling, the bottle can be stored
for long periods without consuming the scavenger (i.e., when the
component is not present).
[0147] Thus, the action of filling the container with a liquid can
allow the liquid (or a component thereof) to permeate the
structural and scavenger layers and provide immediate scavenging.
This eliminates the aging requirement noted for certain prior art
containers. Thus, the bottles can be stored dry, while preserving
their ability for immediate scavenging when filled.
[0148] Enhanced Scavenging/Beer Bottle
[0149] FIGS. 1-4 illustrate a transparent 5-layer preform and beer
container including two solid-stated oxygen-scavenging polymer
layers according to the present invention. This multi-layer
structure enables use of a relatively low-weight percentage of the
scavenging polymer, e.g., about 71/2 percent of the total container
weight, while providing a high level of scavenging.
[0150] An injection-molded multi-layer preform 30 is shown in FIG.
1. The preform is substantially cylindrical, as defined by vertical
centerline 32, and includes an upper neck portion or finish 34
integral with a lower body-forming portion 36. The neck portion has
a top sealing surface 31 which defines an open top end of the
preform, and a generally cylindrical exterior surface with threads
33 and a lowermost flange 35. Below the flange is the body-forming
portion 36 which includes an upper cylindrical portion 41, a flared
shoulder-forming portion 37 which increases radially inwardly in
wall thickness from top to bottom, a cylindrical panel-forming
section 38 having a substantially uniform wall thickness, and a
substantially hemispherical base-forming section 39.
[0151] Preform 30 has a three-material, five-layer (3M, 5L)
structure (not shown in FIG. 1) and is substantially amorphous and
transparent. The multiple preform layers comprise, in serial order:
an outer layer of virgin PET, an outer intermediate layer of a
solid-stated oxygen-scavenging polymer, a central core layer of
recycled PET, an inner intermediate layer of a solid-stated
oxygen-scavenging polymer, and an inner layer of virgin PET. The
virgin PET may be any commercially available, bottle-grade PET
homopolymer or copolymer having an intrinsic viscosity (IV) of
about 0.80 dl/g. The core layer is commercially available
post-consumer PET having an IV of 0.73 dl/g. The two intermediate
layers are made of solid-stated MXD-6 scavenging polymer as
previously described, having an intrinsic viscosity for example of
1.27 dl/g, a T.sub.g of 87.degree. C., and a melting point of
238.degree. C. The scavenging polymer includes 500 micrograms of
cobalt per gram of polymer (i.e., 500 ppm cobalt per weight of
MXD-6); the cobalt is added as cobalt neodecanoate.
[0152] The preform 30 is adapted for making a 0.5 liter (500 ml)
pressurized container for beer, as shown in FIG. 2. The preform 30
has a height of about 112 mm, and an outer diameter in the
panel-forming section 38 of about 25 mm. The total wall thickness
of the panel-forming section 38 is about 4 mm; the thickness of the
various layers in this preform section are: outer and inner layers
each about 1.1 mm thick; inner and outer intermediate layers each
about 0.11 mm thick; and core layer about 1.6 mm thick. For
carbonated beverage containers of about 0.3 to 1.5 liters in
volume, having a panel wall thickness of about 0.25 to about 0.38
mm, and filled at about 2.0 to 4.0 volumes of CO.sub.2 aqueous
solution, the preform panel-forming section 38 preferably undergoes
an average planar stretch ratio of about 9-12. The planar stretch
ratio is the ratio of the average thickness of the preform
panel-forming portion 38 to the average thickness of the container
panel 46 (as shown in FIG. 2); the average is taken along the
length of the respective preform and container portions. The
average panel hoop-stretch is preferably about 4.0 to 4.5, and the
average panel axial stretch is about 2 to 3. This produces a
container panel 46 with the desired biaxial orientation and visual
transparency. The specific panel thickness and stretch ratio
selected depend on the dimensions of the bottle, the internal
pressure, and the processing characteristics (as determined for
example by the intrinsic viscosity of the particular materials
employed).
[0153] The preform shown in FIG. 1 may be injection molded by a
sequential metered process described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,550,043;
4,609,516; 4,710,118; 4,781,954; 4,990,301; 5,049,345; 5,098,274;
and 5,582,788, owned by Continental PET Technologies, Inc. of
Florence, Ky., and hereby incorporated by reference in their
entirety. In this process, predetermined amounts of the various
materials are introduced into the gate of the preform mold as
follows: a first shot of virgin PET which forms
partially-solidified inner and outer preform layers as it moves up
the cool outer mold and core walls; a second shot of the scavenging
polymer which will form the inner and outer intermediate layers;
and a third shot of the recycled PET material which pushes the
scavenging polymer up the sidewall (to form thin scavenging layers)
while the third slot forms a central core layer. A final shot of
virgin PET may be used to clear the nozzle and finish the bottom of
the preform with virgin PET.
[0154] After the mold is filled, the pressure is increased to pack
the mold against shrinkage of the preform. After packing, the mold
pressure is partially reduced and held while the preform cools. In
a standard process, each of the polymer melts are injected into the
mold at a rate of about 10-12 grams per second; a packing pressure
of about 7500 psi (50.times.10.sup.6 N.multidot.m.sup.-2) is
applied for about 4 seconds after filling; the pressure is then
dropped to about 4500 psi (30.times.10.sup.6 N.multidot.m.sup.-2)
and held for the next 15 seconds, after which the pressure is
released and the preform is ejected from the mold. Increasing the
pressure above these levels may force higher levels of interlayer
bonding, which may include chain entanglement, hydrogen bonding,
low-level interlayer crystallization and layer penetration; these
may be useful in particular applications to increase the resistance
to layer separation in both the preform and container. In addition,
increased pressure holds the preform against the cold mold walls to
solidify the preform without haze, i.e., loss of transparency, at
the minimum possible cycle time. Still further, faster injection
rates may yield higher melt temperatures within the injection
cavity, resulting in increased polymer mobility which improves
migration and entanglement during the enhanced pressure portion of
the injection cycle, and thus increases the delamination
resistance. As an additional option, increasing the average preform
temperature and/or decreasing the temperature gradient through the
preform wall may further reduce layer separation by minimizing
shear at the layer boundaries during preform expansion.
[0155] FIG. 4 illustrates a stretch blow-molding apparatus 70 for
making the container 40 from the preform 30. More specifically, the
substantially amorphous and transparent preform body-forming
section 36 is reheated to a temperature above the glass transition
temperatures (T.sub.g) of the inner/outer virgin PET, intermediate
scavenger, and core recycled PET layers, and the heated preform
then positioned in a blow mold 71. A stretch rod 72 axially
elongates (stretches) the preform within the blow mold to insure
complete axial elongation and centering of the preform. A blowing
gas (shown by arrows 73) is introduced to radially inflate the
preform to match the configuration of an inner molding surface 74
of the blow mold. The formed container remains substantially
transparent but has undergone strain-induced biaxial orientation to
provide the increased strength necessary to withstand the
carbonation pressure.
[0156] In this embodiment the preforms are reheat stretch
blow-molded on a Sidel SBO-1 into 500 ml beer bottles with an
average sidewall thickness of 0.015 in. In the sidewall, the inner
PET layer is 0.0037 in. thick, the inner intermediate layer is
0.0005 in., the core layer is 0.0065 in., the outer intermediate
layer is 0.0005 in., and the outer layer is 0.0038 in. thick.
[0157] FIG. 2 shows the 0.5 liter multi-layer beverage bottle 40
made from the preform of FIG. 1. The preform body-forming portion
36 has been expanded to form a transparent biaxially-oriented
container body 41. The upper thread finish 34 has not been
expanded, but is of sufficient thickness or material construction
to provide the required strength. The bottle has an open top end 42
and receives a screw-on cap (not shown).
[0158] The expanded container body 41 includes an upper conical
shoulder section 43 which generally increases in diameter from
below the neck finish flange 35. Below shoulder portion 43 is an
indented annular rib 44 and then a dome portion 45 which joins at
its lower edge to a cylindrical panel section 46. The panel section
46 preferably has been stretched at an average planar stretch ratio
of 9 to 12; the virgin PET layers have an average strain-induced
crystallinity of 24 to 32%, and more preferably of 26 to 30%. The
champagne-type base 47 has a standing ring 48 which surrounds a
central push-up dome 49.
[0159] FIG. 3 shows a cross-section of the container panel wall 46,
including inner layer 55 of virgin PET, core layer 56 of recycled
PET, outer layer 57 of virgin PET, and inner and outer intermediate
layers 58, 59 of the oxygen-scavenging polymer. In this embodiment,
the relative percent by total weight of the various layers in the
panel section are about 25% for inner layer 55, about 41% for core
layer 56, about 28% for outer layer 57, and the intermediate
scavenger layers 58 and 59 together are about 5.6 weight percent.
The container overall contains 7.5 weight percent of the scavenger.
Depending on the application, there may be a substantially uniform
thickness of the scavenger layer throughout the container, or
alternatively a relatively greater amount of scavenger in the panel
(thinnest wall portion) over that in the much thicker neck portion
and/or base regions, where the greater thickness PET layers provide
sufficient passive barrier protection. Preferably, the scavenger
layer is of substantially uniform thickness in the panel.
[0160] This container provides a shelf-life for beer of no greater
than 50 parts-per-billion (ppb) of oxygen over 112 days (16 weeks),
as described in the following examples.
EXAMPLES
[0161] The following examples describe various methods of preparing
an enhanced oxygen-scavenging polymer. The scavenging polymer is
then used to make a number of the three-material five-layer
(3M/5L), 500 ml beer bottles previously described and shown in
FIGS. 1-4. These bottles are tested according to an Orbisphere test
method (described below) for determining the scavenging performance
of the container. The results are illustrated in FIG. 5, which show
the enhanced oxygen-scavenging performance of a container made with
the solid-stated polymer of the present invention, compared to
prior art monolayer, multi-layer PET/MXD-6, multi-layer PET/EVOH,
and glass containers.
Example 1
[0162] In this example, an aromatic polyamide oxygen-scavenger (EMS
5227) is solid-stated, combined (tumbled) with a metal compound,
and then used to form separate layers of a multi-layer beer
container.
[0163] 40 lbs of EMS 5227 polymer pellets with an IV (in m-cresol
solvent) of 1.55 is placed in a 1-cubic foot agitated and jacketed
vacuum chamber (VB-001 Double Plentary Mixer, Ross, Hauppauge,
N.Y.; a 10-cubic foot chamber is also available). EMS 5227 is a
polymer produced by EMS (located in Domat/EMS, Switzerland) by
condensing meta-xylene-diamine with adipic acid and 11 molar
percent isophthalic acid. The amorphous 5227 pellets are first
dried and crystallized under agitation at 250.degree. F.
(120.degree. C.) at 10 torr for 6 hours. By first crystallizing the
polymer, the melting temperature is increased to allow an increase
in the subsequent solid-stating temperature. The T.sub.g of the
polymer is 85.degree. C. In accordance with the solid-stating
method to enhance the scavenging, the temperature is then turned up
to 350.degree. F. (177.degree. C.) and the pressure maintained at
10 torr for an additional 42 hours. At the end of the solid-stating
time the temperature of the transfer fluid heater is reduced to
sub-ambient (below 25.degree. C.). The polymer is cooled for 1 hour
prior to removal. The polymer is transferred to 2-25 lb metal cans
with tight sealing lids.
[0164] The polymer from one can is tumbled with 2500 ppm ground
cobalt neodecanoate pastilles (The Shepherd Chemical Co. No.
03676400) for 4 hours. The resulting mixture is used to make two
intermediate layers of the preforms, which are then reheat stretch
blow molded into bottles, as described above with respect to FIGS.
1-4.
[0165] 75 of the bottles are selected at random, filled with
deoxygenated water and then capped (Alcoa aluminum cap) for
Orbisphere testing. Immediately after filling, the samples have
about 100 ppb oxygen content. Two to five days later they are down
below 50 ppb. Two to three weeks after filling, they are below 20
ppb and remain there for a long period of time, much longer than 16
weeks (112 days)--see FIG. 5.
[0166] Measurements of Oxygen-Scavenging Rate
[0167] The Orbisphere test components are available from
Orbisphere, Geneva, Switzerland. The following is a summary of the
test procedure.
[0168] 1. An 80-gallon stainless steel pressure tank is filled with
tap water. It is then sparged with nitrogen at a high rate, around
40 liters per minute, for 1 hour. This takes the concentration of
oxygen down from 8000 ppb to under 100 ppb. After sparging, the
tank is held at 22 psi of nitrogen.
[0169] 2. Each of 75 500 ml beer bottles is loaded onto an
Orbisphere bench top bottle filler and is sparged with nitrogen at
a rate of 20 liters per minute for a period of 30 seconds to remove
oxygen from the bottle. Each bottle is filled with the
de-oxygenated water from the tank. The bottle is then removed from
the filler and set on the bench. There is about a 15 cc headspace
created by the displacement of the fill tube of the filler
device.
[0170] 3. A 28 mm Alcoa aluminum cap with a PET-compatible (EVA)
liner is screwed onto the top of the bottle. The cap is backed off
slightly while the bottle is squeezed by hand until the gas in the
headspace of the bottle is squeezed out. Once the gaseous headspace
has all been removed, the cap is again tightly twisted by hand onto
the thread finish of the bottle.
[0171] 4. After all 75 bottles have been filled, 5 are taken by
random and placed in the Orbisphere model 29972 sample device
connected to an Orbisphere model 3600 analyzer. The bottle cap is
punctured, a tube is dropped to the bottom of the bottle, the
bottle headspace is pressurized with 20 psi nitrogen, and the
liquid is forced out of the bottle and through the Orbisphere
analyzer sensor at a rate of 0.13 liters per minute. When 30-50% of
the liquid has been removed from the bottle, the measurement is
stable and the displayed number is recorded. The results of 5
bottles are averaged to support a trend analysis. Note there is a
fixed headspace of 3% in these bottles; the headspace reappears
over 3-4 days after filling as the nitrogen (from sparging the tank
water), leaves the water in the bottle and enters the
headspace.
[0172] 5. 5 bottles are tested according to the following
approximate schedule: 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 11 days, 2 weeks, 4
weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks, 20 weeks, 24 weeks, 28
weeks, 32 weeks. Data is recorded and graphed for trend analysis to
determine suitability for a beer package.
[0173] The Orbisphere results are shown in FIG. 5, which is a graph
of the amount of oxygen in the liquid exiting the container, in
parts per billion (ppb), versus the time, in weeks. As indicated,
the bottles have been filled with deoxygenated water and are held
in an environment at 72.degree. F. (22.degree. C.) and 50% relative
humidity.
[0174] A desired specification for beer is represented by the
dashed line in FIG. 5--i.e., the Orbisphere results described above
where the 600 ppb is the O.sub.2 content of the water. Thus, the
desired specification is for the oxygen content in the water to
remain below 600 ppb. This defines the O.sub.2 shelf life for the
container. It means that the oxygen present during filling, and
that which permeates through the sidewall and/or leaks in through
the cap and enters the liquid, must remain below 600 ppb during the
entire 112 day period.
[0175] The oxygen performance of various prior art containers are
also illustrated in FIG. 5. All of the containers used an Alcoa
aluminum cap (nonreactive, threaded, with a PET compatible liner).
A first prior art container A is a monolayer PET control container
made from a single layer of virgin bottle-grade PET, having a
thickness of 15 mils (0.015 in.), a diameter of 2.6 in., and a
height of 4.75 in.; the estimated surface area of the container is
about 60 in. squared. As shown in FIG. 5, the monolayer container
exceeds the 600 ppb specification at about 11/4 week.
[0176] A second prior art container B is a two-material, five-layer
(2M/5L) container made from virgin PET as the inner, outer and core
layers, and MXD-6 nylon (which has not been solid-stated) as the
inner and outer intermediate layers. The MXD-6 comprises three (3)
weight percent of the container. This container has the same
thickness and dimensions as the control container. This container
fails (exceeds) the specification at about 4 weeks.
[0177] A third container C is a two-material, five-layer (2M/5L)
container made from virgin PET (inner, outer and core layers) and
EVOH (inner and outer intermediate layers). The EVOH comprises
three (3) weight percent of the container. This container falls
outside the specification at about 11 weeks.
[0178] A fourth container D is a glass container. This container
stays within the specification for 24 weeks. There is oxygen
leakage around the cap into the container, producing a gain in
oxygen content over time.
[0179] The container E of the present invention (71/2% by weight
solid-stated MXD-6 of the total container weight), has a reduction
in oxygen content over time and a much lower level of oxygen
concentration than the glass container. The oxygen concentration
stays substantially below 20 ppb for most (all but the first week)
of the 24 weeks. This is well beyond the 16-week requirement.
During the first week the O.sub.2 present during filling is being
scavenged at an enhanced rate as illustrated in FIG. 7 (discussed
below).
[0180] The box in the upper right comer of the graph of FIG. 5
shows a three-week trend analysis, comparing the prior art
containers with the container of the present invention. Listed in
the box are values for oxygen gain per day in ppb of O.sub.2. As
shown, the container of this invention has a negative gain of -3.4
ppb/day (trend in 3 weeks). The second best container is the glass
container, having a +2.1 ppb gain per day. The other container
values are +6, 18 and 43 ppb/day. Thus, there is a significant
improvement even in the first three weeks of the test.
[0181] FIG. 6 is an exploded view comparing the scavenging
performance over the first 40 days. Again, the monolayer PET
container A' exceeds the 600 ppb between 10-15 days. Two containers
E'-1 and E'-2 of this invention start at about 50-100 ppb and
rapidly drop below 20 ppb in about 5-7 days. Note that FIGS. 5-6
show the Orbisphere test results, which measures the 0.sub.2
content of the fluid. In use, a typical aseptically-filled beer
bottle may have an initial total package 0.sub.2 content of 200 ppb
(includes O.sub.2 in beer and headspace), which would drop to 34
ppb (total package) in 5-7 days due to the scavenging effect of the
package. The initial 200 ppb total package O.sub.2 content seen by
the brewer is close to the 100 ppb liquid O.sub.2 content
(Orbisphere) value (where the liquid has an O.sub.2 content of 100
ppb, the total package O.sub.2 content (including liquid and
headspace) would be 170 ppb).
[0182] FIG. 6 also shows the scavenging performance (over the first
35 days) of a multi-layer PET/MXD-6 container B' without
solid-stating (close to 600 ppb at .about.35 days), and a
multi-layer PET/MXD-6 container F' where the MXD-6 has been
solid-stated but no metal is used (exceeds 600 ppb at .about.30
days).
[0183] FIG. 7 also illustrates the enhanced scavenging rate of the
polymer of this invention. Here a sample container (from Example
3--containing solid-stated MXD-6, tumbled, 71/2 weight percent) was
filled with oxygenated (normal tap water) having a dissolved
0.sub.2 content of about 9000 ppb. The scavenging polymer reduced
the 0.sub.2 content to below 6500 ppb in 24 days, at a rate of 175
ppb/day. This is an extremely high rate of scavenging.
[0184] Additional tests were run to determine the effect of the
solid-stating process. They are described below and illustrated in
FIGS. 8-15.
[0185] IR Spectroscopy
[0186] FIGS. 8A-8B show the results of infrared (IR) spectroscopy
conducted on an MXD-6 sample without solid-stating (8A) and after
solid-stating for 60 hours (8B). The ordinate is % transmittance,
and the abscissa is wavenumbers (cm.sup.-1). There is substantially
no difference (between 8A and 8B) and thus the solid-stating
appears to have no effect on the polymer structure.
[0187] NMR
[0188] FIGS. 9A-9B show the results of nuclear magnetic resonance
(NMR) on an MXD-6 sample without solid-stating (9A) and after
solid-stating for 48 hours (9B). Again, there is substantially no
difference and thus the solid-stating apparently has had no effect
on the chemical structure. The NMR test was performed on samples
after each 4-hour interval (over a total 60-hour solid-stating
process) and substantially no difference was noted between any
sample during the entire time.
[0189] Molecular Weight
[0190] The following discussion of molecular weight determination
is taken from the published literature of LARK Enterprises, Inc.,
12 Wellington Street, Webster, Mass. 01570.
[0191] The physical characteristics of polymers are determined by
their chemistry and the size of the molecules. The chemistry
affects characteristics such as solubility and adsorption of
various metals, chemical and thermal resistance to degradation,
conductivity, and adhesion. The size of the polymer molecules
correlate to its rheology, or flow properties under stress
conditions.
[0192] There are a number of statistical averages used by polymer
scientists to describe the properties of polymers. The ones
presented here are correlated to certain physical properties.
Brittleness and ease of flow increase with decreasing Mn (number
average molecular weight). The tensile strength and hardness
increase with increasing Mw (weight average molecular weight). Flex
life and stiffness increase with increasing Mz (Z average molecular
weight). These averages can be obtained from a variety of separate
testing procedures. End group titration, freezing point depression,
boiling point elevation, osmotic pressure, or fractional vapor
pressure change could be used to determine the Mn. Light scattering
or viscosity could be used to determine the Mw. Ultracentrifugation
can be used to determine Mz. There are other molecular weight
averages used such as Mv (usually nearly equal to Mw) and ratios of
averages, however, the three averages that are the most prevalent
are Mn, Mw and Mz. The ratio of Mw/Mn is known as the dispersity of
the polymer and is an estimate of the breath of the molecular
weight distribution. Samples with a dispersity of close to one are
considered to be nearly homogeneous. Anionically polymerized
styrene with dispersities of 1.01 to 1.07 are generally used to
calibrate GPC instruments. It should be noted that the dispersity
of a polymer generally reflects its mode of synthesis and can vary
widely--dispersities greater than 20 are not uncommon.
[0193] The technique of GPC (Gel Permeation Chromatography) or SEC
(Size Exclusion Chromatography), two names that can be used
interchangeably, has the advantage of being able to determine
multiple parameters from one analysis. The method is applicable to
all polymers that are soluble. The method of analysis uses about
ten milligrams of sample (or less) dissolved in four milliliters of
solvent. The dissolved polymers are pumped under high pressure (and
in some cases high temperature to keep the polymer in solution)
through a series of tubes packed with gel of varying pore size. In
contrast to a mechanical sieve, the sieving action occurs with the
larger molecules not fitting in the pores and eluting first while
the smaller molecules elute last. The actual comparisons of samples
and standards are made based on the size of the molecules in
solution. Other than for the most exacting work the hydrodynamic
radius comparisons are used directly or with minimal corrections.
The time or X-axis can be calibrated logarithmically according to
the size of the molecule in solution. The largest molecules are
seen on the left of the chromatogram and the smallest at the right.
This comparative nature of GPC requires the routine calibration of
the instrument with well-defined standards. A curve is fit to the
experimental standards and the molecular weight averages of
interest are then calculated.
Mn=n.sub.1*M.sub.1/.SIGMA.n.sub.i+n.sub.2*M.sub.2/.SIGMA.n.sub.i+n.sub.3*M-
.sub.3/.SIGMA.n.sub.i+ . . .
Mw=n.sub.1*M.sub.1*M.sub.1/.SIGMA.n.sub.i*M.sub.i+n.sub.2*M.sub.2*M.sub.2/-
.SIGMA.n.sub.i*M.sub.i+n.sub.3*M.sub.3*M.sub.3/.SIGMA.n.sub.i*M.sub.i+
. . .
Mz=n.sub.1*M.sub.1*M.sub.1*M.sub.1/.SIGMA.n.sub.i*M.sub.i*M.sub.i+n.sub.2*-
M.sub.2*M.sub.2*M.sub.2/.SIGMA.n.sub.i*M.sub.i*M.sub.i+n.sub.3*M.sub.3*M.s-
ub.3*M.sub.3/.SIGMA.n.sub.i*M.sub.i*M.sub.i+
+ . . .
Disp.=Mw/Mn
[0194] n.sub.1=number of molecules with molecular weight
M.sub.1
[0195] M.sub.1=molecular weight of an individual molecule
[0196] n.sub.i=total number of molecules in the sample
[0197] In addition to the averages obtained from the same sample,
GPC has the advantage of giving a graphical representation of the
mass as a function of molecular weight. The chromatogram that
results is a good tool to quickly see trends in data that would not
be immediately obvious.
[0198] FIG. 10 shows a GPC curve (chromatogram) for an MXD-6 sample
which has not been solid stated.
[0199] FIGS. 11-13 and Table 1 below show the results of a GPC for
a solid-stated MXD-6 sample taken at 4-hour intervals during a
total 60-hour solid-stating process according to the following
parameters:
1 TABLE 1 Mn Mw Mz Mp Disp. 1-0 21902 48232 66320 51361 2.20 1-4
21895 48605 66864 51361 2.22 1-8 22511 50102 68921 52546 2.23 1-12
* * * * * 1-16 23117 51953 71243 55677 2.25 1-20 23113 52343 71566
57311 2.26 1-24 23028 52709 72271 57311 2.29 1-28 22824 52713 72355
58028 2.31 1-32 23256 53905 74660 58998 2.32 1-36 23642 54369 74559
60367 2.30 1-40 24296 53865 74239 58893 2.22 1-44 24895 55457 76255
61642 2.23 1-48 23882 54212 74923 59253 2.27 1-52 24449 56596 78701
63455 2.31 1-56 25088 56379 78076 63200 2.25 1-60 23620 55542 76921
62553 2.35 *Sample error
[0200] FIGS. 11-13 show the rise in Mn, Mw and Mz respectively over
time during solid-stating. The rise in Mn establishes that the
lower molecular weight (shorter) chains are increasing in length.
The rise in Mz, at a greater rate than Mn, establishes that the
higher molecular weight (longer) chains are also increasing in
length (and at a greater rate). There is also a rise in Mw. Thus,
the molecular weight of the MXD-6 is increasing during
solid-stating in this embodiment.
[0201] The last column of Table 1 (above) is the polydispersity
number, which reflects the distribution of molecular weight (as
opposed to an average). This value is obtained by dividing Mw by
Mn. To those skilled in the art it is apparent that there is no
significant change in this ratio over the solid-stating time. It
was also determined that there was no significant change in the
cyclic oligomer component of the MXD-6 polymer.
[0202] FIG. 14 and Table 2 below show the change in intrinsic
viscosity (IV) for an MXD-6 sample A, taken at 4-hour intervals
over the solid-stating time:
2 TABLE 2 Time (hours) A 0 1.1418 4 1.1463 8 1.1564 12 1.1822 16
1.2010 20 1.1939 24 1.2023 28 1.2085 32 1.2152 36 1.2315 40 1.2447
44 1.2473 48 1.2588 52 1.2621 56 1.2737 60 1.2772
[0203] FIG. 14 shows the results of IV as a function of
solid-stating time for a sample of MXD-6 6007 which has been
solid-stated at 10 torr vacuum and 350.degree. F. (177.degree. C.)
for a time from 0 to 60 hours. The IV increased at a rate of 0.0023
dl/g per hour. The sample taken at 48 hours of processing time,
combined with cobalt, has the superior scavenging rate illustrated
in FIGS. 5-7.
Example 2
[0204] The second can of polymer from Example 1 is extrusion
compounded with the metal compound. The polymer pellets are
compounded with 2500 ppm cobalt neodecanoate pastilles (The
Shepherd Chemical Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, cat. no. 03676400),
stranded, chilled under water and then chopped into pellets. This
material is then placed back in the 1-cubic foot reactor and
processed at 250.degree. F. (120.degree. C.) and 10 torr vacuum
with agitation for 12-16 hours. This step is required to dry and
crystallize the material to enhance the injection molding process.
Wet amorphous material will not form proper layers and will
nucleate the adjacent layers of PET to form haze (nontransparent).
This material is then processed into preforms and bottles the same
as in Example 1. Filled bottles were tested on the Orbisphere and
exhibited substantially the same oxygen performance as Example
1.
Example 3
[0205] In this example, MXD-6 6007 (Mitsubishi Chemicals, Japan) is
substituted for the EMS 5227 in Example 1. Since the MXD-6 6007 is
crystalline as received, the initial lower temperature drying
process was not necessary. The polymer was processed at 350.degree.
F. (177.degree. C.) and 10 torr for the entire 48 hours. All 55 lbs
(the standard weight of a bag of MXD-6) was loaded into the
reactor. The resulting solid-stated polymer filled both of the 25
lb cans (with about 1/2 of a 5-quart can left over). One can (25
lbs) of this material was then tumbled with 2500 ppm of ground
cobalt neodecanoate pastilles (The Shepherd Chemical Co.
No.03676400) and then processed into preforms and bottles as
described in Example 1. Filled bottles were tested on the
Orbisphere and exhibited substantially the same oxygen performance
as Examples 1 and 2.
Example 4
[0206] This is the same as Example 3 except the second can of
solid-stated MXD-6 from Example 3 was extrusion compounded as in
the process of Example 2. Bottles tested by the Orbisphere method
exhibited the same excellent performance as Examples 1-3.
Example 5
[0207] In this example, meta(m)-xylenediamine (MXDA), isophthalic
acid and adipic acid are copolymerized in solution, with water
catalyzing the polymerization reaction, and cobalt neodecanoate is
combined therewith as the metal. Sodium hypophosphite is added
later in the reaction to increase the molecular weight (see
WO92/02584 to Eastman Chemical). The resulting copolymer (with
dispersed cobalt) has an IV of about 0.88 (60/40
phenol/1,1,2,3-tetrachloro-ethane solvent); it is then granulated
and solid-stated as 350.degree. F. (177.degree. C.) for 48 hours to
raise the molecular weight (IV=0.99).
[0208] More specifically, 656 g of MXDA (CAS no. 1477-55-0), 113.6
g of isophthalic acid (CAS no. 121-91-5), 604 g adipic acid (CAS
no. 124-04-9), 3 grams cobalt neodecanoate (CAS no. 27253-31-2),
and 1000 g of water are mixed in a 4-liter glass 2-neck 2-piece
reaction vessel. The reaction chamber is placed in a mantle and the
mantle temperature is raised to 400.degree. F. (205.degree. C.)
with paddle agitation at 50 RPM (revolutions per minute) under an
8.5 psi (0.586 bars) nitrogen blanket. A small stream of the
nitrogen is split off of the top to remove water and any volatile
byproducts. After one hour the mantle temperature is raised to
500.degree. F. (260.degree. C.). After 21/2 hours the temperature
is raised to 575.degree. F. (300.degree. C.). After 30 minutes the
pressure is dropped to 6 psi (0.414 bars). After 30 minutes the
pressure is dropped to 4 psi (0.276 bars). After 30 minutes the
pressure is dropped to 1 psi (0.0689 bars) and 6 grams of sodium
hypophosphite powder (CAS no. 123333-67-5), is dissolved in 20 cc
(cubic centimeters) of water and then injected into the reaction.
The reaction is continued until the torque on the agitator reaches
500 in-oz (36,000 cm/g) at 50 RPM. Then the heat is removed and the
agitation is shut off. The sample is allowed to cool to room
temperature under 6 psi (0.414 bars) of nitrogen.
[0209] The polymer has an IV of about 0.80 dl/g (60/40
phenol/1,1,2,3-tetrachloro-ethane solvent). The IV is increased by
solid-stating as described below.
[0210] The polymer is cut off of the paddle with a band saw and is
then granulated to a medium texture with a high level of fines
using a model Gran 220 bench grinder (Dynisco/Kayeness; of
Morgantown, Pa.) with a 10 mm screen. The granulated polymer is
then spread in a Pyrex oven pan and solid-stated in a vacuum oven
at 350.degree. F. (177.degree. C.) at 1 torr pressure for 48
hours.
[0211] The IV of the solid-stated polymer is about 1.2, and has a
melt index in the range of 15-35 grams per 10 minutes in the 50-100
ppm moisture range (ASTM #D1238-89 with a 2.16 kg total weight and
a 0.0825 inch (2.0955 mm) diameter orifice at 275.degree. C.).
[0212] The solid-stated scavenging polymer is then fed into a
sequential multi-layer injection molding apparatus to produce 3M/5L
performs (as per FIGS. 1-4) having inner and outer layers of virgin
PET (Shell 8006, 0.81 IV nominal, 2 molar percentage isophthalic
acid copolymer, available from Shell Oil Co., Houston, Tex., USA),
a core layer of post-consumer PET (IV=0.74 dl/g), and inner and
outer intermediate layers of the scavenging polymer.
[0213] The preforms are blown into 500 ml bottles and subjected to
the Orbisphere test (same as Example 1). The results show an
initial oxygen concentration in the fluid after 24 hours of around
100 ppb, dropping to under 40 ppb within 4 days, down under 20 ppb
within 1 week and remaining under 20 ppb, for a period of six
months (26 weeks).
Example 6
[0214] In this example, an aromatic ester alpha-hydrogen carbonyl
is the scavenging polymer. The aromatic ester polymer is prepared
from bisphenol A diacetate and suberic acid in accordance with the
process described below and illustrated in FIG. 16.
[0215] FIG. 16 shows the condensation of bisphenol-A diacetate and
adipic acid to make a polymer having two alpha-hydrogen carbonyl
groups, two esters, one aromatic backbone structure (with two
rings), and a 4-carbon chain aliphatic group. This polymer has
relatively high T.sub.g of 91.degree. C. A modified polymer made
with suberic acid (as opposed to adipic acid) has a lower T.sub.g
of 79.degree. C., which is in the preferred range for use with PET
orientation temperatures.
[0216] The following process may be used to prepare a polymer from
bisphenol A diacetate and suberic acid (see for example Preparative
Methods Of Polymer Chemistry, 2nd Edition, Sorensen, Campbell, page
149):
[0217] In a first step, diacetate of bisphenol A is prepared by
dissolving 11 g (grams) of bisphenol A in a solution of 9 g (0.22
mole) sodium hydroxide in 45 ml water in a 250 ml Erlenmeyer flask.
The mixture is cooled in an ice bath and a small quantity of ice is
added to the flask. Then, 22.4 g (0.22 mole) acetic anhydride is
added and the flask is shaken vigorously in an ice bath for 10
minutes. The white solid is filtered, washed with water, and
recrystallized from ethanol.
[0218] A mixture of bisphenol A diacetate 312 g (1 mole), suberic
acid 174 g (1 mole), 0.60 g tolunenesulfonic acid (monohydrate) is
placed in a 2-liter, 2-neck flask with agitator. The flask is
purged with nitrogen while agitating for 20 minutes. The
temperature is then raised to 180.degree. C. while agitating and
purging with nitrogen at ambient pressure. Acetic acid distills as
the temperature is slowly raised from 180.degree. C. to 250.degree.
C. while the pressure is slowly reduced to about 1 torr. The melt
is maintained at 250.degree. C. and 1 torr for 1 hour.
[0219] When using an aliphatic acid, it may be advantageous that
pyridine be substituted for sodium hydroxide and water in the above
reaction.
[0220] The polymer may be extrusion compounded with cobalt
neodecanoate and solid-stated, as follows. Thirty pounds of the
aromatic ester alpha-hydrogen carbonyl polymer is compounded on an
extruder with 2500 ppm cobalt neodecanoate, stranded and cut into
pellets. The extruder has a 11/2 in. diameter and a 36:1 L/D ratio
and a compression ratio of 3:1. The entire transition zone is of a
barrier design with a 0.010 in. clearance between the screw and
barrel. The output of the extruder is directed into a stranding
dye; molten strands are then pulled through a water bath for
cooling, and are finally chopped into 1/4 in. long by 1/8 in.
diameter pellets. The pellets are then placed in a 1-cubic foot
jacketed, agitated, vacuum reactor (VB-001 Double Plentary Mixer,
Ross, Hauppauge, N.Y.) and heated to 250.degree. F. (120.degree.
C.) for 3 hours under 10 torr vacuum with agitation to dry and
crystallize the pellets. The temperature is then raised to
470.degree. F. (240.degree. C.) at a pressure of 10 torr,
solid-stating the pellets for an additional 36 hours. The pellets
are then cooled and loaded into a sequential multi-layer injection
molding apparatus for making 3M/5L performs (same as Example 1),
and blown into bottles (same as Example 1). The bottles are
expected to have an oxygen performance similar to Example 1.
Example 7
[0221] In this example, the cobalt is added to MXD-6 6007 in the
solid-stating reactor (after the MXD-6 has been solid-stated). This
method has several benefits over that described in Example 1.
[0222] 55 lbs of MXD-6 is solid stated as described in Example 3,
except the temperature is 205.degree. C. and the pressure is 0.1
torr. Table 3 shows the intrinsic viscosity as a function of
solid-stating time, where the intrinsic viscosity has been
determined with each of 60/40 phenol/1,1,2,3-tetrachloroethane as
the solvent and m-cresol as the solvent.
3TABLE 3 IV (60/40 phenol/1,1,2,3- Time (hours) tetrachloroethane
solvent) IV (m-cresol solvent) 0 h 1.154 1.689 8 h 1.184 1.725 24 h
1.245 1.776 48 h 1.268 1.800 54 h 1.347 1.867
[0223] Cobalt neodecanoate pastilles (not ground) are added at 2500
ppm to the solid-stated MXD-6 in the solid-stating reactor and the
material is agitated under vacuum at 300.degree. F. (150.degree.
C.) for 30 minutes. The material is cooled in the reactor for 1
hour and stored in a covered can sealed under ambient
atmosphere.
[0224] This process can provide a more uniform cobalt coating on
the surface of the MXD-6 pellets, resulting in better scavenging
performance. There is no need to grind the cobalt neodecanoate
pastilles. Also, because the prior method involved transferring the
MXD-6 from the solid-stating reactor to a tumbling vessel for
addition of cobalt, excess moisture could be extracted from the
atmosphere by the polymer during such transfer; it would thus be
beneficial to dry such mixture prior to injection molding. In
contrast, by adding the cobalt directly to the MXD-6 in the
solid-stating reactor, there is less need for a subsequent drying
procedure.
Example 8
[0225] In this example, the oxygen-scavenging performance is
compared for plaques made from either solid-stated, or
non-solid-stated, polyamide having a cobalt neodecanoate
concentration of 2500 ppm (500 ppm cobalt).
[0226] The solid stating is carried out as described in Example 1,
for 48 hours. The plaques are tested according to the wet plaque
test previously described under "Performance Tests".
[0227] FIGS. 15A-15D illustrate the oxygen-scavenging performance
(% oxygen content in the jar) for plaques of solid-stated and
non-solid-stated polymers as a function of time in days. In FIG.
15A, the data for the non-solid-stated MXD-6 6007 is shown as line
100; the solid-stated plaque data is shown as line 101. In FIG.
15B, the data for the non-solid-stated MXD-6 6001 is shown as line
102; the solid-stated plaque data is shown as line 103. In FIG.
15C, the data for EMS non-solid-stated is shown as line 104; the
solid-stated plaque data is shown as line 105. In FIG. 15D, the
data for nylon 6 non-solid-stated is shown as line 106; the
solid-stated plaque data is shown as line 107.
[0228] From FIGS. 15A-D it is seen that the solid-stated
oxygen-scavenging polymers exhibit enhanced performance compared to
the non-solid-stated scavenger. This enhanced performance is
evidenced by the greater (more negative) slopes of the respective
lower lines and the resulting lower levels of measured percent
oxygen content over time.
Example 9
[0229] Material Distribution in Bottle
[0230] Table 4 below shows the effect of solid-stating time (8, 20
and 36 hours) on the distribution of scavenger material in the neck
finish (flange 35 and above in FIG. 2), body (the cylindrical
sidewall 46), and the neck (the shoulder portion 43 between the
finish and body) in the 5-layer bottle embodiment. The third
example in Table 4, solid stating for 36 hours, resulted in the
greatest percentage of scavenger in the body (the thinnest wall
portion of the container), providing the best scavenging
performance.
4TABLE 4 Barrier Distribution in Finish, Neck, and Body of Bottle
example 1 2 3 hours of solid-stating 177.degree. C., 3 torr 8 20 36
barrier layer % in body 3.63 5.07 5.83 IV 0.971 1.16 1.25 finish
weight complete (g) 6.725 6.725 6.725 neck weight complete (g)
4.755 4.755 4.755 body weight complete (g) 18.99 18.99 18.99 end
cap not used (g) 2.96 2.96 2.96 grams of barrier in finish 0.934
0.722 0.716 grams of barrier in neck 0.483 0.388 0.382 grams of
barrier in body 0.689 0.963 1.107 total grams in neck + body 1.172
1.351 1.49 total grams in bottle 2.106 2.073 2.206 % of barrier in
finish 13.88 10.73 10.65 % of barrier in neck 10.15 8.152 8.04 % of
barrier in body 3.63 5.07 5.83 % of barrier in neck + body 4.936
5.687 6.272 % of barrier in bottle 6.30 6.20 6.60
Example 10
[0231] In this example, samples of the 5-layer bottle previously
described were filled with tank water (100 ppb oxygen). The
scavenger in the bottles was solid-stated at 350.degree. F.
(177.degree. C.) for a period of time ranging from 0 h to 60 h.
FIG. 17 illustrates the oxygen concentration of the water contained
in each bottle. It can be seen that within the first 8 hours, there
was a very sharp reduction in oxygen content. Thus, even without an
extended solid-stating time, and before a substantial increase in
IV has occurred, there is a remarkable increase in scavenging
performance obtained by the solid-stating process of this
invention.
Example 11
[0232] In this example, the effects on oxygen-scavenging
performance are illustrated where the scavenging polymer, MXD-6
6007, is prepared by different methods and incorporated as two
layers in the 5-layer bottle previously described. The results for
both tap water and tank water are displayed in Tables 5A and 5B,
after 3 weeks and 9 weeks, respectively.
[0233] The different methods are designated by column headings A-D
as follows: "A" indicates that the scavenger comprises only MXD-6
6007 without any cobalt; "B" indicates that 2500 ppm cobalt
neodeconoate as a powder (500 ppm cobalt) has been tumbled into the
MXD-6 6007 at 150.degree. C. for 30 minutes; "C" indicates that the
same amount of cobalt has been added to the MXD-6 6007 but in the
solid-stating vessel and tumbled; "D" indicates that the cobalt has
been added as in "C" followed by an additional step of subjecting
the polymer to a vacuum of 0.1 torr at 63 .degree. C.
[0234] The headings for each row are: "Air Dry," indicates that the
polymer has been subjected to air-drying 130.degree. C.; "Vac Dry"
indicates that the polymer has been subjected to a vacuum of 2.1
torr at a temperature of 150.degree. C.; and "SS" indicates that
the polymer has been solid-stated at 205.degree. C. for 48 h at 0.1
torr.
[0235] The bottles are filled with either tap water (O.sub.2
concentration.about.8600 ppb) or tank water (O.sub.2
concentration.about.100 ppb). By three weeks, the oxygen
concentration of the water is measured by the Orbisphere method and
these results are tabulated in Table 5A; similarly the 9-week
results are tabulated in Table 5B.
[0236] The data of Tables 5A-5B shows the advantageous effects of
solid-stating in combination with the addition of cobalt to the
polymer (row SS, column D). The improved oxygen-scavenging
performance is especially noted for the tank water results where
the dissolved oxygen content steadily decreases in each of "B" to
"C" and "D" (row SS).
5TABLE 5A OXYGEN CONCENTRATION AFTER 3 WEEKS (ppb) TapWater - 8600
ppb TankWater - 100 ppb A B C D A B C D Air Dry 7100 7100 7100 7100
780 700 450 450 Vac Dry 6900 7000 7200 6600 560 450 380 240 SS 7000
4400 4900 4200 540 35 15 4
[0237]
6TABLE 5B OXYGEN CONCENTRATION AFTER 9 WEEKS (ppb) TapWater - 8600
ppb TankWater - 100 ppb A B C D A B C D Air Dry 6483 5677 5108 4705
1792 1457 840 980 Vac Dry 6498 5254 5418 4076 1162 867 686 550 SS
5985 973 1377 870 1222 21 19 1
Example 12
[0238] The following example illustrates a selection technique for
the amount of metal in the enhanced oxygen scavenger.
[0239] The oxygen-scavenging performance of EMS FE5270 nylon (MXD-6
6007 solid stated at 193.degree. C. for 16 hours under nitrogen)
was studied at varying concentrations (0, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400,
500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1500, and 2000 ppm) of cobalt
(cobalt neodecanoate (CoNeo) concentration=cobalt concentration*5).
Plaque samples (as previously described in the wet plaque test) for
each concentration were prepared by heat-treating the resins in a
10 cubic foot vertical blender (ROSS V-10 Vertical blender) at
150.degree. C. for 12 hours. Once the samples were cooled to room
temperature, the appropriate amount of cobalt neodecanoate was
added. Each sample was then tumbled in a metal paint can for about
30 minutes. To drive out any remaining moisture in the material,
each sample was then redried in a vacuum drier at 62.degree. C. for
about 24 hours.
[0240] To compare wet and dry conditions, half of the plaque
samples for each concentration were placed in jars according to the
wet plaque test previously described, and the other half were
placed in jars according to a "dry plaque test" (same as wet plaque
test but no water in the jars). Oxygen testing was done
approximately twice per week for 54 days; the dry and wet results
are listed in Tables 6A-6B respectively and illustrated in the bar
graphs of FIGS. 18-19 respectively.
[0241] As shown in FIGS. 18-19, the wet plaque test samples
displayed a higher oxygen-scavenging performance than the dry
plaque test samples. After 54 days, none of the dry samples
displayed greater than a 1.6% oxygen reduction, whereas the oxygen
content in some of the wet samples was reduced by amounts greater
than 5%. For the wet samples, optimum performance occured with a
cobalt concentration of 500 ppm with a 5.57% total oxygen
reduction. Each of the wet samples from 300 to 1000 ppm had close
to or greater than 5% reduction.
[0242] FIGS. 21-22 are bar graphs of percent oxygen reduction vs.
sample concentration for dry and wet samples respectively,
illustrating the effect of cobalt concentration (from 0 to 850 ppm
cobalt based on the nylon) for three different processing
techniques: solid-stated (dark shaded bars); vacuum dried (light
shaded); and air dried (white bars). The dry samples (per the dry
plaque test) showed similar percent O.sub.2 reduction for all three
processes, none greater than 0.60. In contrast, the wet samples
(per the wet plaque test) from the solid-stated process showed a
clearly superior result, both compared to the dry samples and
compared to the other two processes. The air dried and vacuum dried
samples were made from MXD-6 6007. The solid-stated samples were
made from EMS nylon as previously described, except the resin was
heat-treated in the blender for 11 hours and re-dried in the vacuum
dryer at 62.degree. C. for 4 hours.
7TABLE 6A Average Oxygen Content (%) Over 54 Days for Dry Plaque
Test Sample (PPM) 1 Day 4 Day 9 Day 15 Day 18 Day 22 Day 25 Day 29
Day 32 Day 36 Day 38 Day 43 Day 54 Day 0 21.0 21.1 21.0 21.1 21.0
21.2 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.0 21.1 21.1 21.0 50 21.0 21.1 21.0 21.1 21.0
21.1 21.0 21.0 21.0 20.8 20.8 20.9 20.9 100 21.0 21.1 21.0 21.0
20.3 21.0 21.0 21.0 21.0 20.8 20.8 20.9 20.8 200 20.9 20.9 20.7
20.6 20.5 20.5 20.4 20.4 20.3 20.1 20.1 20.1 20.0 300 20.7 20.9
20.6 20.4 20.6 20.5 20.5 20.5 20.5 20.4 20.2 20.3 20.2 400 20.8
20.8 20.7 20.4 20.6 20.4 20.5 20.4 20.4 20.2 20.1 20.2 20.1 500
20.8 20.9 20.6 20.4 20.5 20.2 20.3 20.2 20.1 20.0 19.8 19.9 19.7
600 20.8 20.8 20.6 20.4 20.4 20.2 20.2 20.1 20.1 19.9 19.8 19.8
19.7 700 20.8 20.8 20.6 20.5 20.5 20.2 20.4 20.3 20.3 20.0 19.9
20.1 19.9 800 20.8 20.8 20.6 20.4 20.4 20.2 20.2 20.2 20.1 19.8
19.8 19.8 19.7 900 20.8 20.8 20.7 20.6 20.6 20.4 20.4 20.4 20.3
20.1 20.1 20.1 20.0 1000 20.8 20.8 20.6 20.4 20.4 20.2 20.2 20.1
20.1 19.9 19.8 19.8 19.7 1500 20.8 20.7 20.6 20.4 20.4 20.2 20.1
20.1 20.2 20.0 19.8 19.9 19.8 2000 20.8 20.9 20.8 20.5 20.6 20.4
20.4 20.3 20.4 20.1 20.0 20.0 20.0
[0243]
8TABLE 6B Average Oxygen Content (%) Over 54 Days for Wet Plaque
Test Sample (PPM) 1 Day 4 Day 9 Day 15 Day 18 Day 22 Day 25 Day 29
Day 32 Day 36 Day 38 Day 43 Day 54 Day 0 20.8 20.9 20.9 20.8 20.9
20.9 20.7 20.9 20.9 20.7 20.7 20.7 20.9 50 20.8 20.8 20.8 20.6 20.7
20.6 20.6 20.6 20.6 20.4 20.3 20.4 20.4 100 20.7 20.6 20.5 20.3
20.2 20.1 20.0 19.9 19.9 19.5 19.6 19.4 19.3 200 20.4 20.3 19.9
19.7 19.6 19.2 19.0 18.8 18.6 18.1 18.1 17.9 17.5 300 20.3 20.0
19.6 19.3 19.1 18.6 18.3 18.0 17.7 17.2 17.2 17.0 16.4 400 20.4
20.0 19.7 19.3 19.1 18.5 18.2 17.8 17.6 17.0 17.0 16.7 16.1 500
20.5 20.3 20.0 19.5 18.7 18.1 17.9 17.4 17.1 16.5 16.4 16.1 15.5
600 20.7 20.5 20.3 19.8 19.1 18.4 18.1 17.7 17.4 16.9 16.6 16.2
15.6 700 20.7 20.5 20.3 20.0 19.3 18.6 18.3 17.8 17.5 16.8 16.7
16.3 15.7 800 20.7 20.4 20.3 19.8 19.2 18.5 18.2 17.7 17.4 16.8
16.7 16.4 15.8 900 20.6 20.6 20.6 20.0 20.4 19.8 19.0 18.6 18.1
17.5 17.3 16.8 16.2 1000 20.6 20.6 20.5 20.2 20.2 19.6 19.3 18.6
18.5 17.9 17.5 17.1 16.3 1500 20.7 20.6 20.6 20.3 20.4 20.0 19.9
19.6 19.4 18.8 18.7 18.3 17.4 2000 20.7 20.5 20.6 20.3 20.3 20.2
19.7 19.8 19.7 19.2 19.0 18.9 18.5
Example 13
[0244] The following example further illustrates the effect of
increased weight percentages of the scavenger layers on
oxygen-scavenging performance in one embodiment.
[0245] MXD-6 was treated as in Example 3; 2500 ppm of cobalt
neodecanoate was added. The previously described 5-layer bottles
were made with varying weight percentages of the combined two
scavenging layers (1%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 10%). Oxygen-scavenging, as
measured by the Orbisphere method, was tested for each of tap water
(8600 ppb) and tank water (100 ppb). The results are listed in
Table 7.
[0246] From Table 7, it can be seen that scavenging performance
generally decreases as the amount of the scavenging layer
decreases. Optimal amounts of scavenger in this embodiment range
from 6% to 10%.
9 TABLE 7 % Oxygen Content (ppb) Over 91 Days Wt % of 1 wk 2 wk 3
wk overall MXD-6 slope slope slope slope 1 day 7 days 14 days 21
days 35 days 63 days 91 days 10% (tap) 232 51 -33 -56 6575 7881
7463 6320 6062 4151 2571 10% (tank) -13 -6 -4 0 87 11 9 2 1 34 8 8%
(tap) -96 50 31 -30 7161 6586 7723 7370 6308 5272 4530 8% (tank)
-11 -4 -2 0 68 3 1 0 6 4 1 6% (tap) -141 50 35 -33 7175 6328 7759
7423 6323 5287 4144 6% (tank) -10 -3 -2 0 73 13 20 11 3 39 55 4%
(tap) -75 64 48 -28 7142 6694 7873 7712 6785 5722 4658 4% (tank) -3
9 8 4 87 71 190 202 294 420 350 2% (tap) -71 74 59 -12 7183 6755
7947 7865 6971 6772 5946 2% (tank) 14 23 22 18 88 173 373 500 760
1275 1650 1% (tap) 185 94 47 -25 6900 7826 7782 7504 6737 5475 5097
1% (tank) 34 29 29 24 195 392 562 763 1147 1801 2278
[0247] Other Packages (e.g.. Juice)
[0248] Other applications may allow the use of lesser amounts of
the enhanced oxygen-scavenger of this invention and still provide
adequate protection. For example, fruit juice is less oxygen
sensitive than beer and thus a lower amount of scavenger may be
sufficient. Also, the lower amount may not actually reduce the
enclosed oxygen content over time, but simply maintain it at or
below some specified upper limit. Thus, the enhanced scavenger is
capable of reducing the rate at which the oxygen content of the
container is increased.
[0249] In one embodiment, a 5-layer bottle is prepared as
previously described where the oxygen-scavenging layer thickness is
selected such that the oxygen content of an aqueous liquid is
maintained at less than 9, 000 ppb for a designated time period
(e.g., 3 months, preferably 6 months), and more preferably less
than 8,000 ppb. The bottle may have an initial oxygen content of
5,000-6,000 ppb, i.e. the oxygen content of the package when first
sealed.
[0250] In one example, a 5-layer bottle for fruit juice may have
two intermediate scavenger layers at a total weight percent of 3.5%
scavenger in the bottle. During hot filling at 82.degree. C., the
headspace is initally flushed with steam to reduce the initial
oxygen content of the bottle. This bottle can maintain the oxygen
content at an acceptable level for at least 3 months. The lower
weight percentage of enhanced scavenger is both cost-effective and
provides better delamination resistance and a longer shelf life
than prior PET/EVOH bottles.
[0251] Other variations of the heat treatment may also produce
compositions with increased scavenging performance but which may
only reduce the rate at which the oxygen content in the package is
increased, rather than providing an actual reduction in oxygen
content.
[0252] While there have been shown and described several
embodiments of the present invention, it will be obvious to those
skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be
made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined
by the appending claims.
* * * * *