BOLLATE, Italy, September 18, 2013 – Solvay Specialty Polymers, a leading manufacturer of highperformance polymers, is celebrating its 50th anniversary as the global supplier of Diofan® and Ixan® polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) polymers used in barrier packaging.
Unlike most other barrier packaging materials, Diofan® and Ixan® high-barrier polymers have both oxygen barrier and water vapor barrier properties. They are used to enhance and upgrade packaging materials by preventing the permeation of oil and grease as well as the loss of aroma and flavor. They provide strong seals to make hermetic packages and improve package appearance through transparency, gloss, print adhesion, and scratch resistance.
“Diofan® and Ixan® products have a long history of providing safe and reliable packaging and they have become a performance standard in the barrier packaging industry” said An Nuyttens, Solvay’s global business manager for high-barrier polymers.
A thin layer of an aqueous Diofan® dispersion on various types of base webs enhances barrier and packaging properties, ensuring the freshness of food and preserving the efficacy of drugs even when distributed to remote geographical regions. The material’s typical water vapor transmission rate ranges between 0.05 - 10 g/(m²•d), and its oxygen transmission rate can be lower than 1 cc/(m²•d•bar).
Extrusion grades of Ixan® high-barrier polymer provide long-lasting protection for advanced film packaging solutions for both vacuum and Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP), thereby extending the shelf life for fresh and processed meat, fresh and frozen fish, poultry, and cheese.
In addition to their use in food and healthcare packaging, Diofan® PVDC latexes are also used in waterbased corrosion-resistant paints, coatings, and building protection due to the material’s excellent barrier to water vapor and oxygen permeation.
The Diofan® and Ixan® high-barrier polymers portfolio complies with international regulations covering materials used in direct contact with food and drug products, and they have been used effectively and safely for 50 years. The production plant located in Tavaux, France is committed to quality, health and safety, and good environmental practices and works in certified managements systems according to ISO 9001 for Quality, ISO 14001 for the Environment and OSHAS 18001 for Occupational Health and Safety.
Solvay continues to demonstrate its commitment to the Diofan® and Ixan® product lines through significant investments in research and development, manufacturing, and supply chain excellence. Continued investments are planned to support future scheduled expansions for PVDC production around the world.
About Solvay Specialty Polymers
Solvay Specialty Polymers manufactures more high-performance plastics than any other company in the world. The company supplies over 1500 products across 35 brands of high-performance polymers – fluoropolymers, fluoroelastomers, fluorinated fluids, semi-aromatic polyamides, sulfone polymers, aromatic ultra polymers, high-barrier polymers and cross-linked high-performance compounds – for use in Aerospace, Alternative Energy, Automotive, Healthcare, Membranes, Oil & Gas, Packaging, Plumbing, Semiconductors, Wire & Cable, and other markets.
