Poly(ethylene terephthalate) resin was contaminated with a series of surrogates using a US Food and Drug Administration protocol. The contaminated samples were coated with two different kinds of hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films (a-C:H): one with diamond-like hydrogenated amorphous carbon and another with polymer-like hydrogenated carbon (PLCH) phases. To evaluate the barrier properties of the a-C:H films, migration assays were performed using food simulants. After the tests, analysis by gas chromatography with different detectors was carried out. The appearance of the films before and after the migration experiments was studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that a-C:H films have good barrier properties for most of the evaluated compounds, mainly when they are deposited as PLCH phase.
Keywords: amorphous hydrogenated carbon; food packaging; functional barrier; poly(ethylene terephthalate).