Nanotechnology and Packaging Printing (2)

Third, trace the source of nano packaging technology

More than 1,000 years ago, our ancestors had a history of making and using nanomaterials. For example, in ancient China, carbon black was made using the smoke of a burning candle. As the raw material of ink and the dye used for coloring, it was the earliest nanomaterial.

Due to the limitations of science and technology, practical ultrafine materials in the recent century are generally composed of micrometers. When the ultra-fine material reaches the nano-state, it will exhibit new specific functions.

Rustun Roy is the most famous material expert in the late 20th century and specializes in high-tech materials research. In 1984, Luo Yi first proposed a new theory of nano-materials, opened up a new era of packaging materials nano. In 1989, IBM Corporation in the United States took the lead in using a tunneling microscope (STM) probe to "transplant" helium atoms, which was then labeled as IBM's logo and successfully achieved the world's smallest nanoscale trademark pattern. Japan's Toyota Central Research Institute applies high technology to research nano packaging materials.

Under the guidance of nano-theory, in 1990 Japan's Shinko Kogyo Co., Ltd. first developed a successful nano-composite packaging material PA/Mt (5%) and produced it on an industrial scale. Soon nanocrystalline liquid crystal (nmLCP) composite PET polyester material came out in the United States, its performance is superior to laminar composite packaging materials, and its packaging application is just around the corner.

In 1990, an epoxy resin/cross-linked NBR (-10%) was prepared by a Japanese synthesis company using a synthetic method. The product was impact-resistant, heat-resistant, and used as a high-performance adhesive. In 1991, Amoco made PA6/PPTA (5%) and PPTA (5%) synthetically as high-strength packaging materials. Between 1991 and 1993, Japan produced EPR (30%) or copolymers (60%)/PE/talc (10%) synthetically on missile packaging, and Hocnse used melt blending to prepare TLCP/PA12. TLCP/PEEK and TLCPPA are used for military packaging. The same method was also used to produce TLCP/PL with its biaxially oriented film for food packaging. In 1994, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) began to develop standards for degradable plastic (packaging) materials. The United States has successfully developed a new PET/LCP nanocomposite packaging material under the trade name Vectra. In 1995, the European Union included "nano-new materials" as the "second largest manufacturing industry." American Amoco Corporation began industrial production of PEN polyester new packaging materials. In 1996, a Japanese company adopted a direct dispersion method to produce PE/ultrafine particles (carbon black) for military packaging and electromagnetic shielding. Also using the same method, PP/Tio2 (3.5 W%) was prepared for UV protection packaging.

Looking at foreign countries, before 1996, many polymer composite materials related to packaging have been commercialized and industrialized. Since 1996, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Chemistry applied the natural high-yield montmorillonite layered silicate as an inorganic dispersed phase, and invented a one-step method to prepare PA6 nano plastic (nC-PA6) and PET nano plastic (nc-PET).

In 2000, China successfully developed organic nano-functional materials with 20 nanometers of active organic polymers, which are expected to be used for high-performance special packaging such as conductive packaging and stealth packaging. In fact, in the 1980s, some people in China developed a spindle-shaped nano-Fe2O3 with a long axis of 40 nm to 60 nm and a short axis of 14 nm to 16 nm. The nano-Fe2O3 has the characteristics of transparency, weatherability, and ultraviolet shielding, and is used in coin-operated inks. To improve its stain resistance; for metal flash paint, significantly improve the film's flop of color.

Nano-package printing, like other nano-disciplines, is not limited to the demarcation between size and scale, but focuses on the variability and new physical properties caused by small dimensions.

Since Gleiter et al. took the lead in producing nanomaterials in 1981, after more than 20 years of development, nanomaterials have made great progress. Nowadays, there are many kinds of nanomaterials, and applications in the packaging field, such as nano-high barrier sealing packaging materials and nano-anti-static packaging materials, are both superior to raw materials, high performance, and can be processed under normal conditions, and also have high surface gloss. . Nanomaterials due to nano-scale grains, high concentration of grain boundaries and atomic boundaries of the grain boundary trio together created its advantages over general materials.

Fourth, the impact of nanotechnology on the packaging and printing industry

(a), nano packaging materials

Nano packaging material refers to a new type of packaging material made by the synthesis or addition of powders with a dispersed phase size of 1 to 100 nm and other packaging materials, or nano-modification of traditional packaging materials, and also refers to a portion of nanomaterials that can be used for packaging products. They can be referred to as nanocomposite packaging materials, nano-modified packaging materials and pure nano packaging materials. Nanomaterials are the first breakthrough and most promising areas for early nanotechnology in the packaging industry. Nanomaterials have distinct characteristics from traditional packaging materials. The researchers found that under certain conditions, nanophase regions with different or even opposite physicochemical properties can achieve mutual synergy. In other words, the use of special nanotechnology to process the traditional materials, to form a two-dimensional nanophase phase region with opposite characteristics intertwined with each other, so that the original incompatibility characteristics are manifested by their mutual cooperation. In the traditional phase diagram, two kinds of elements or compounds that are not co-dissolved at all, in the nano state, can form a co-dissolution body, and can be made into a new material or a composite material. For this reason, the nano-system greatly enriches the transformation and manufacture of packaging printing materials in the 21st century. The scope of application of new types of packaging materials.

Applications of nanotechnology in materials and manufacturing include the use of nanoparticles with the best properties of both dyes and pigments to increase the level of color printing; the color of nanomaterials varies with particle size and the smaller the particle size, the darker the color For this purpose, nano-materials of appropriate size and uniform particle size can be selected to prepare printing inks of various colors to replace the traditional chemical pigment color matching process. Nano-scale active calcium carbonate can be used for high-grade ink, can improve the ink with force, suitable for high-speed printing; nano-scale bonding and coating of carbide materials and nano-coatings for cutting tools and electronic, chemical and other aspects; establish nanometer Measuring new standards; performing nanofabrication with high complexity and functionality on the chip.

(b) In the traditional printing industry, it can be foreseen that nanotechnology will have a wide range of applications

Printing of new materials has appeared. When a special surface treatment is adopted, two kinds of two-dimensional surfaces with different properties can be formed on the medium, and the surface area of ​​each surface and the “interface” of the two-phase structure will be super-hydrophilic. Sexual and super-lipophilic interface. It can be imagined that the resolution of prints in the future will be higher.

Due to the development of printing plates, the demand for ink will inevitably increase accordingly. At present, a technology for producing an ultrafine metal material “nano-metal fine powder” using a DC arc plasma method has been realized. The development of nano-materials engineering from the fields of metals and semiconductors to a variety of organic fields is an inevitable trend. When the effective preparation method of the ultrafine material is established and the problem of stability that prevails in the organic material is solved, the performance of the ink must have a leap forward. Packaging and printing materials mainly refer to PS plates, papers, and inks. Due to the characteristics of nanotechnology, their printability will be greatly changed and they will better match the printing conditions. The existence of India's printing force is not high, uneven roughness is not thin, the performance of the photosensitive solution and other issues are solved with the application of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is the latest technology for creating new packaging such as high-performance, high-efficiency ratio, and high-functionality, so nanocomposite packaging materials have strong development momentum and broad application prospects. For example, adding 10% nano (thermotropic liquid crystal polymer) to a high molecular polymer will increase the tensile strength of the material to 476 MPa, thereby greatly expanding the use of packaging materials.

(C) On the nanoscale, by synthesizing material units with precise control of size and composition, preparing Lighter, stronger, and designable materials with long life and low maintenance

With new principles and structures, materials of nature or materials that do not exist in nature are built on the nano level to achieve the repair of nano-scale damage during the destruction of materials. Nowadays, there are many new types of polymer nano-composite packaging materials used abroad for packaging, and they are actively being developed in China. The improvement of nanometer packaging materials will inevitably bring about changes in the packaging printing process and technology.

Nanotechnology has penetrated into certain traditional industries such as dyes, coatings, foods, printed materials, and packaging materials. Through the research of nanomaterials, adding nano-particles to chemical fiber products can remove odor and sterilization, and through the use of nanotechnology, the scrub resistance of coating materials can be improved from the original 1000 times to more than 10,000 times. Also more than doubled. This kind of technology for nano-modification of traditional materials has little investment in enterprise applications and has a broad market prospect.

(D), the impact of nano-package printing equipment

The ink supply system of the printing press is an important component that guarantees normal printing. The role of the ink roller is to transfer ink to the surface of the printing plate. The effect of the ink roller material on the printing quality is very important. The use of nano-materials can change the elasto-plasticity, oil resistance, acid resistance, solvent resistance, anti-aging and ink affinity, transferability, and abrasion resistance of the ink roller, thereby stabilizing the printing transfer conditions. Similarly, the use of nano-materials can improve the quality of printing blankets, thereby stabilizing the imprinting conditions for printing and improving the quality of printing. Nanotechnology will also be applied to the drive. Such as tiny micro-motor systems (MEMS). The microelectronic system can place 1 million micromachines on a silicon wafer, each with an electronic control system. The Texas company in the US has used MEMS technology to develop chips for displaying video images. The printer is equipped with such a thin sensor-transmission device, which can regulate the pressure, speed, position, etc. with great precision. The main problem with printing equipment is the problem of mechanical accuracy. The problem of mechanical accuracy arises due to limitations in the manufacturing technology during the manufacturing process, and secondly, due to mechanical wear during the printing process. The main parts that are easily worn out in the printing equipment are: gears, cams, drum journals and sleeves (or eccentric sleeves) and other components. With the application of nanotechnology, the accuracy and wear-resistance of these key components can be greatly improved, maintenance costs can be reduced, and the printing quality of printed products can be improved.

Through nanotechnology, we can develop nano packaging systems. After entering the field of nanotechnology, micron-scale various types of additives into nano-scale products, will make the traditional packaging and printing products update. At the same time, the nanotechnology industry will promote precision manufacturing technology to the entire packaging and printing industry through the manufacture and application of nanopowders and thin films.
(to be continued)