The gas barrier properties of multilayered films fabricated using a new vacuum web coater at the University of Oxford have been investigated. Oxygen and water vapor transmission rates were measured for a range of coated LLDPE film architectures in order to establish the influence of vacuum deposited acrylate layers on the barrier properties. It was found that the addition of an organic interlayer between two aluminum layers results in three order of magnitude decrease in oxygen transmission rates. It was also observed that acrylate layers had minimal impact on the water vapor barrier properties for multilayered structures compared to aluminum coated LLDPE film. These findings, to our knowledge, demonstrate for the first time that the water vapor permeation mechanism through multilayered barrier structures based on vacuum deposited acrylate layers is different compared to that of oxygen. © 2005 Society of Vacuum Coaters.
