Thin film nanocomposites have profound importance in several types of industries such as food, electronics, pharmaceutical, etc. primarily for packaging applications. This research project aims first to develop transparent, high barrier material polymer nanocomposites, and furthermore to demonstrate good adhesion to different types substrates like polyethylene terepthalate (PET) that are commonly used in flexible organic photovoltaics. Nanocomposites based on three different nanoclays (SCPX-2849, Cloisite 20A and Cloisite 30B) in combination with different types of polymers (Bynel, Butvar, Dymax, PEI/1,3-DEG) were prepared with a range of nanoparticle concentrations by techniques such as solvent casting and high-shear mechanical mixing.

The films were then characterized with respect to structure (via optical microscopy and TEM), thermal stability (via TGA), optical characteristics (via UV-Vis specotroscopy), water vapor barrier (via Mocon testing). While the Butvar and Bynel systems did not give the enhancements in barrier properties expected, improvements were seen in the case of the Dymax based nanocomposite thin films. Although, the PEI/1,3 DEG systems have not been explored extensively as the other systems, promising results have been observed. Further experimentation and characterization needs to be done before arriving at a concrete conclusion.