Barrier and Shelf-Life Testing for Packaging

In packaging applications, barrier performance degradation follows complex pathways influenced by environmental conditions, material properties, and time. Current testing protocols show that moisture transmission rates can vary from 0.01 to 10 g/m²/day across different barrier materials, while oxygen transmission may range from 0.01 to 100 cc/m²/day. These variations significantly impact product shelf-life predictions and material selection decisions.

The fundamental challenge lies in developing accelerated testing methods that accurately predict long-term barrier performance while accounting for multiple failure mechanisms and environmental stressors.

This page brings together solutions from recent research—including thermal aging parameters for polymer storage life, anisotropic degradation assessment in liquid crystal polymers, sequential failure mechanism testing, and dynamic moisture barrier evaluation techniques. These and other approaches help packaging engineers make informed decisions about material selection and shelf-life predictions under real-world conditions.