Methods and compositions providing high performance thermoplastic nanocomposite layers for use in packaging applications

A composite packaging structure having an oxygen and moisture barrier, comprising:

• a thermoplastic nanocomposite comprising one or more polymer layers, each containing a plurality of nanoparticle content;
• wherein the one or more polymer layers have net negative charged hydrophobic particles that are contained within the thermoplastic nanocomposite with a chemical formula of Al2,H2,O12,Si4;
• wherein the one or more polymer layers comprise a montmorillonite clay structure that comprises one or more of OMMT, OMT and, MMT;
• wherein the montmorillonite clay structure further comprises at least one octahedral sheet that contains one or more of aluminum hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide;
• wherein said at least one octahedral sheet has a cation exchange capacity (CEC) of about 250 meq/100 g;
• wherein the OMMT, OMMT, and MMT each have a purity of about 99.99%;
• wherein the plurality of nanoparticle content has sizes in the range of about 80-100 nm, as measured using dynamic light scattering, and a crystalline nanoclay phase identity of about 2.1 smectite particles to montmorillonite particles;
• wherein the plurality of nanoparticle content comprises one or more plate-like structures;
• wherein the one or more plate-like structures comprise two silica tetrahedral sheets having the at least one octahedral sheet, forming about a 2:1 layer structure, and which are free-flowing particle structures;
• wherein the free-flowing particle structures have surface modifications to include dimethyldialkyl (C16-C18) ammonium chloride;
• wherein the free-flowing particle structures have a CEC of about 250 meq/100 g as measured by one or more of atomic absorption spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy;
• wherein the free-flowing particle structures have a pH of about 7.5 as measured indirectly by creating a suspension of the particles in deionized water and then measuring the pH of that deionized water;
• wherein the free-flowing particle structures have a particle specific surface area in the range of about 220-270 m2/g as measured using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method;
• wherein the free-flowing particle structures, after intercalation and exfoliation, have aspect ratios within the range of about 300-700, as determined by transmission electron microscopy;
• and
• wherein the one or more plate-like structures have a plate size length of about 600-700 nm and a plate size width of about 600-700 nm, as measured using one or more of transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, and have a thickness in the range of about 1-2 nm as measured using X-ray diffraction.