Chitin is an abundant biopolymer that can be exploited as sustainable oxygen barrier materials for food, electronics and pharmaceutical packaging. Both chitin and cellulose are readily dispersed in water enabling A material derived from crab shells and tree fibers has potential to replace the flexible plastic packaging used to keep food fresh. Source: ACSspray-coated films to be deposited at high rates onto uneven or delicate surfaces.

Researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology have devised a new material to replace flexible plastic packaging by making use of chitin from crab shells and cellulose from tree fibers. Multiple layers of these materials are sprayed to form the flexible film, which was demonstrated to provide a 73 percent reduction in oxygen permeability relative to some forms of polyethylene terephthalate.

Packaging applied to preserve food needs to prevent oxygen from passing through. Part of the reason the new material, which is also compostable, improves upon conventional plastic packaging as a gas barrier is because of its crystalline structure.

A manufacturing process that maximizes economy of scale will be needed to make the new material economically competitive with conventional packaging film. Industrial processes to mass produce cellulose are fully developed, but methods to produce chitin must still be advanced.

The research is published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering.