A New Family of sHDPE Polymers for Enhanced Moisture Barrier Performance

Conventional Ziegler-Natta catalyzed high density polyethylene (HDPE) homopolymer is used as a moisture barrier in the production of multilayer films for packaging dry food-stuffs and other moisture sensitive products. Barrier properties for these HDPEs are improved by narrowing the molecular weight distribution (MWD) and decreasing the molecular weight, at the expense of melt strength and processability. NOVA Chemicals Corporation has developed a new class of single site catalyzed high density polyethylene (sHDPE) resins for moisture barrier applications utilizing Advanced SCLAIRTECH™ Technology and NOVA Chemicals’ proprietary single site catalyst. These new sHDPE resins offer superior moisture barrier properties, exceeding the barrier performance of multilayer HDPE component films, without compromising processability.