Page 57 - Plastics News February 2026
P. 57
PRODUCT NEWS
PEAK NANO DEVELOPS BIODEGRADABLE NANOLAYER
FILMS FOR SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING
vanced manufacturing to address
global environmental challenges
and create new economic oppor-
tunities here at home," said Hans
Dorfi, executive director and chief
innovation officer of the Polymer
Industry Cluster.
Tackling microplastic waste
Traditional multilayer packaging
films, often composed of tightly
bonded polymers and additives,
are notoriously difficult to recy-
eak Nano unveils a groundbreaking pro- cle and contribute to long-term microplastic
gram to create biodegradable nanolayer pollution. Peak Nano's biodegradable films aim
Ppolymer films for food, beverage, and to solve this issue by offering the same high-
medical packaging, leveraging patented Nano- performance barrier properties while breaking
Plex technology and Innovation Hub support.
down over time.
In a step toward sustainable packaging, Peak "With NanoPlex, we can create nano layers that
Nano, an Ohio-based producer of polymer na- let us dial in characteristics like barrier perfor-
noscale metamaterials, has announced a devel- mance, mechanical strength, and even degrada-
opment program to create biodegradable na- bility," said Michael Ponting, PhD, chief scientific
nolayered polymer films for food, beverage, and officer at Peak Nano. "This lets us tackle one of
medical packaging.
the toughest problems in packaging. We can
Supported by research and development fund- now design biodegradable nanolayer structures
ing from the Greater Akron Polymer Innovation that give converters the barrier and mechanical
Hub, the initiative leverages Peak Nano's patent- properties they need, with a much better end-
ed NanoPlex metamaterials technology to de- of-life story."
sign high-performance, eco-friendly alternatives Developed at Case Western Reserve University
to traditional multilayer barrier films.
by leading polymer scientists Eric Baer and Lei
"Peak Nano's films show how we can align Zhu, NanoPlex technology enables the creation
world-class materials science with our region's of films with thousands of precisely controlled
deep expertise in polymer science and ad- polymer layers. This innovation allows for un-
February 2026 PLASTICS NEWS 57
