Solvay launches sustainable barrier PVDC coating solution

Solvay, a specialist in specialty materials, has introduced Diofan Ultra736, a new polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) coating solution with "ultra-high" water vapour barrier that allows carbon footprint reduction for pharmaceutical blister films.

As an aqueous dispersion, Diofan Ultra736 is fluorine-free, meets regulatory requirements for direct pharmaceutical contact and supports the design of sustainable films with thinner coating designs.

“Consumers and legislators are requesting increased efforts related to carbon footprint reduction from the packaging industry, and one of the most effective means to this end is to reduce the size and weight of packaging products,” says Federico Baruffi, global marketing manager, packaging, Solvay Specialty Polymers. “Our new Diofan Ultra736 coating solution can help packaging film manufacturers achieve superior barrier properties with thinner structures, leading to a significant carbon footprint reduction of the blister film.”

Diofan PVDC coatings are used in pharmaceutical blister packaging to protect sensitive solid-dose drug preparations. They can be applied on both plastic and paper-based substrates and are often preferred for their combination of water vapour and oxygen barrier.

Diofan Ultra736 PVDC coating was custom-engineered to maximise the water vapour barrier without sacrificing its high oxygen barrier, chemical resistance or transparency. The product also exhibits excellent thermoformability, enabling smaller pack sizes with higher pill density if compared with incumbent alternative coating solutions.

Due to its barrier performance, Diofan Ultra736 allows the reduction of the coating thickness compared to incumbent mid to high barrier PVDC coatings, without impacting the functionality. In particular, it has been shown that, for Duplex barrier structures, Diofan Ultra736 enables halving the number of base coat layers while delivering the same water vapour barrier. This approach can contribute to decreasing the overall carbon footprint of final blister film structures by up to 13%.