ABSTRACT
Polyolefins, such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), and polar polymers, such as polyamides (PA), polyesters (PET) and polycarbonates (PC), are
important classes of polymers used in the packaging industry. PP is widely employed because of its low cost and versatile properties. However, PP is limited in several applications due to its (i) low surface energy, (ii) difficulty in dyeing, (iii) lack of reactive sites, (iv) low impact strength and (v) high sensitivity to oxidation. Bisphenol-A polycarbonate (PC) is widely used in many different kinds of applications because of its unique combination of properties. This engineering thermoplastic is basically amorphous and, therefore, transparent. It has an excellent balance of toughness, clarity and high heat deflection temperature. However, some disadvantages of PC in the packaging industry are: (i) poor barrier to oxygen, (ii) poor solvent resistance and (iii) high moisture absorption. Several properties of PC can be improved by blending it with polymers such as PP. PP/PC blends are immiscible and incompatible and the absence of interfacial adhesion has been demonstrated, but some efforts to enhance the mechanical properties of such blends are reported [1-4]. In films PP and PC do not adhere to one another, which diminishes the performance of multilayered films.
