Acrylate Copolymer Research Articles

Rigid-tough Coupling of the Solid Electrolyte Interphase Towards Long-Life Lithium Metal Batteries.

Lithium metal batteries are highly pursued for energy storage applications due to superior energy densities. However, fast battery decay accompanied by lithium dendrite growth occurs mainly owing to solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) failure. To address this, a novel functional quasi-solid-state polymer electrolyte is developed through in situ copolymerization of a cyclic carbonate-containing acrylate and a urea-based acrylate monomer in commercial available electrolyte. Based on the rigid-tough coupling design of SEI, anionic polymerization of cyclic carbonate units and reversible hydrogen bonding formed using urea motifs on the polymer matrix can take place at SEI. This mechanically stabilizes SEI and thus helps achieve uniform lithium deposition behaviors and non-dendrite growth. Thus, the superior cycling performance of LiNi0.6 Co0.2 Mn0.2 O2 /Li metal batteries is promoted by the formation of compatible SEI. This design philosophy to build mechanochemically stable SEI provides a good example for realizing advanced lithium metal batteries.

Visible Light Induced Degradation of Poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methyl α-chloro acrylate) Copolymer at Ambient Temperature.

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a well-known and widely used commodity plastic. High production amount of PMMA causes excessive waste creation that highlights the necessity of recycling. Conventional recycling methods require elevated temperatures to induce degradation or depolymerization. In this work, visible light induced photodegradation system by using dimanganese decacarbonyl (Mn2 (CO)10 ) with high halogen affinity is reported. Halide functional photodegradable polymers are prepared by copolymerization of methyl methacrylate and methyl α-chloroacrylate by conventional reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization. Synthesized copolymers are efficiently degraded to low molecular weight oligomers under visible light irradiation in the presence of Mn2 (CO)10 . Characteristics of precursors, degraded polymers, and kinetics of depolymerization are investigated by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourrier transform infrared (FTIR), and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1 H-NMR) spectroscopies. The reported approach is expected to trigger further development of more environmentally friendly recycling techniques in the near future as we are moving toward a greener and more sustainable world.

Arylazopyrazole-Modified Thiolactone Acrylate Copolymer Brushes for Tuneable and Photoresponsive Wettability of Glass Surfaces.

Photoswitches have long been employed in coatings for surfaces and substrates to harness light as a versatile stimulus to induce responsive behavior. We previously demonstrated the viability of arylazopyrazole (AAP) as a photoswitch in self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on silicon and glass surfaces for photoresponsive wetting applications. We now aim to transfer the excellent photophysical properties of AAPs to polymer brush coatings. Compared to SAMs, polymer brushes offer enhanced stability and an increase of the thickness and density of the functional organic layer. In this work, we present thiolactone acrylate copolymer brushes which can be post-modified with AAP amines as well as hydrophobic acrylates, making use of the unique chemistry of the thiolactones. This strategy enables photoresponsive wetting with a tuneable range of contact angle change on glass substrates. We show the successful synthesis of thiolactone hydroxyethyl acrylate copolymer brushes by means of surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization with the option to either prepare homogeneous brushes or to prepare micrometer-sized brush patterns by microcontact printing. The polymer brushes were analyzed by atomic force microscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion spectrometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Photoresponsive behavior imparted to the brushes by means of post-modification with AAP is monitored by UV/vis spectroscopy, and wetting behavior of homogeneous brushes is measured by static and dynamic contact angle measurements. The brushes show an average change in static contact angle of around 13° between E and Z isomer of the AAP photoswitch for at least five cycles, while the range of contact angle change can be fine-tuned between 53.5°/66.5° (E/Z) and 81.5°/94.8° (E/Z) by post-modification with hydrophobic acrylates.

Ultrasmall, elementary and highly translational nanoparticle X-ray contrast media from amphiphilic iodinated statistical copolymers.

To expand the single-dose duration over which noninvasive clinical and preclinical cancer imaging can be conducted with high sensitivity, and well-defined spatial and temporal resolutions, a facile strategy to prepare ultrasmall nanoparticulate X-ray contrast media (nano-XRCM) as dual-modality imaging agents for positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) has been established. Synthesized from controlled copolymerization of triiodobenzoyl ethyl acrylate and oligo(ethylene oxide) acrylate monomers, the amphiphilic statistical iodocopolymers (ICPs) could directly dissolve in water to afford thermodynamically stable solutions with high aqueous iodine concentrations (>140mg iodine/mL water) and comparable viscosities to conventional small molecule XRCM. The formation of ultrasmall iodinated nanoparticles with hydrodynamic diameters of ca. 10nm in water was confirmed by dynamic and static light scattering techniques. In a breast cancer mouse model, invivo biodistribution studies revealed that the 64Cu-chelator-functionalized iodinated nano-XRCM exhibited extended blood residency and higher tumor accumulation compared to typical small molecule imaging agents. PET/CT imaging of tumor over 3 days showed good correlation between PET and CT signals, while CT imaging allowed continuous observation of tumor retention even after 10 days post-injection, enabling longitudinal monitoring of tumor retention for imaging or potentially therapeutic effect after a single administration of nano-XRCM.

Application of vinyl acrylic co-polymer on subgrade and sub base pavement stabilization

A typical method for improving the tensile strength, durability, and swell-shrink behavior of subgrade soil in the pavement is soil stabilization. Numerous researchers have tried a variety of techniques to stabilize the soil. The use of polymer stabilizers has increased, much like other stabilizers. The vinyl-based co-polymer is used in asphalt admixtures, concrete building, dust management, and soil stabilization for highways. Additionally, considering the challenges of the expensive and shortage of stone aggregate in many regions of the country, using locally accessible brick aggregate (i.e over burnt brick aggregate) for sub-base course can be a viable and more affordable solution. The properties of stabilized soil and soil-aggregate combinations were determined at 7 days after cure using the vinyl acrylic co-polymer (K31-APS). By dry weight of the soil and soil-aggregate combination, the vinyl acrylic co-polymer (K31-APS) was added in the ratio of 1:6 (1 part of K31 and 6 parts of water). A combination of soil and aggregate was used in various ratios: 0%, 25%, 50%, and 75%. Laboratory tests such as the unconfined compressive strength and california bearing ratio tests were carried out. Also, scanning electron microscopy test was performed to study the microstructure of the samples. The results showed that adding vinyl acrylic co-polymer to the soil and soil-aggregate combination had no significant changes on maximum dry density but improved the CBR, UCS, and Mr values of the subgrade and sub-base pavement layers in comparison to the unmodified pavement layers. When compared to the unmodified sample, the strength of the soil increased by 94%, while the strength of the soil-aggregate mixture increased by 179%. In contrast, the strength improvements for mixtures of 25% soil and 75% aggregate and 75% soil and 25% aggregate were 50% and 66%, respectively. The addition of vinyl acrylic co-polymer minimizes the thickness of the pavement layers and the cost savings of treated soil-aggregate mixture were found to be 21.63%, 4.77% and 11.02% as compared to untreated sample. Without adding any cementitious material, vinyl acrylic co-polymer (K31-APS) can improve the pavement property with minimum expenses. Consequently, stabilizing the pavement layers with vinyl acrylic co-polymer (K31-APS) stabilizer may be a practical method for constructing roads in a sustainable manner.

Protective coatings for ceramic artefacts exposed to UV ageing

The commercial acrylic copolymer Paraloid B72 (PB72) and a synthesized nanostructured material (AMF) bearing silsesquioxane, methacrylate and fluorine units were analyzed to assess their performances as protective coatings for the conservation of Neolithic Cucuteni ceramic pottery when submitted to UV ageing. In the context of comparative evaluation of the protective efficiency, the present paper reports the use of a functional coating that operates via specific photochemical transformations at the coating-air interface as a UV resistant protection coating for cultural heritage artefacts. The main factors that influenced the photo-degradation behavior of the polymeric materials included their structure, the properties at the polymer/air interfaces, and the preferential orientation of functional groups at the surface of the polymeric coatings.

Preparation and performance of silicone-acrylic latex for exterior wall coating of dirt pickup resistance

A self-cross-linkable core-shell silicone-acrylic latex and coatings with excellent dirt pickup resistance were studied to solve the pollution problem for the exterior wall. This article focused on adding two silicon compounds with CC in the core and shell at the influence on latex and coating performance, respectively. First, the octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) and tetramethyltetraethylcyclotetrasiloxaneand (D4V) were used to synthesize silicone copolymer (PVMS) by cationic ring-opening polymerization as the core. Next, in this silicone latex, butyl acrylate (BA), methyl methacrylate (MMA), methacrylic acid (MAA), and γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (A174) were copolymerized to form the silicone-acrylic latex (PVMS/ASI). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometers proved that PVMS was successfully grafted onto acrylic copolymer (ASI). The morphology of particles exhibited core-shell structure, which was clearly shown in TEM. Finally, a comprehensive study of the effect of D4V in the PVMS/ASI was conducted on the properties of such latexes, films, and coatings. It was found that the D4V content influenced quite significantly the properties of latexes and films (water absorption, contact angle, crosslinking degree) as well as the properties of coatings (dirt pickup resistance, water resistance, hardness, adhesion, water scrub resistance). Ultimately, it found that D4V had a positive effect on dirt pick-up. When D4V content was 23 wt% in PVMS/ASI, the coating had an excellent dirt pickup resistance with extremely low ΔR (2.65%).

Modelling of a continuous kneader reactor for the polymerization of partially neutralized acrylic acid

AbstractA mathematical model and analysis of the continuous polymerization of partially neutralized acrylic acid (AA) in a continuous kneader reactor is presented here as an initial attempt to simulate the synthesis of a superabsorbent polymer. A detailed kinetic model has been used to describe the copolymerization of AA and sodium acrylate (NaA) in aqueous medium. This model is used to describe batch and continuous operations. The polymerization is initiated by a mixture of potassium persulphate (K2S2O8, KPS) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as oxidizing agent and ascorbic acid (AsA) as reducing agent. A novel set of kinetic parameters has been estimated by fitting experimental data from different literature sources. The operation of a continuous kneader reactor modelled as a plug‐flow reactor with axial dispersion is theoretically investigated to predict temperature profile, total and individual monomer conversion, consumption of KPS, H2O2, and AsA, and polymer average molecular weights. The simulation results show the presence of a hot spot close to the reactor entrance that could be potentially severe during startup and could have a detrimental impact on polymer quality. This model is a first step in the direction of achieving optimal operating protocols and exploring improved polymerization reactor designs.

Probing the behavior and kinetic studies of amphiphilic acrylate copolymers with bovine serum albumin

This article presents that acrylate copolymers are the potential candidate against the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA). A series of copolymers poly(methyl methacrylate) (pMMA), poly(3-sulfopropyl methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate) p(SPMA-co-MMA), and poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate) p(DMAEMA-co-MMA) were synthesized via free radical polymerization. These amphiphilic copolymers are thermally stable with a glass transition temperature (Tg) 50–120 °C and observed the impact of surface charge on amphiphilic copolymers to control interactions with the bovine serum albumin (BSA). These copolymers pMD1 and pMS1 have surface charges, − 56.6 and − 72.6 mV at pH 7.4 in PBS buffer solution that controls the adsorption capacity of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on polymers surface. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis showed minimum roughness of 0.324 nm and 0.474 nm for pMS1 and pMD1. Kinetic studies for BSA adsorption on these amphiphilic copolymers showed the best fitting of the pseudo-first-order model that showed physisorption and attained at 25 °C and pH 7.4 within 24 h.

Synergistic Toughening of SiC Whiskers in Gel Injection Molded Oral Braces

ZTA ceramic materials are widely used in the field of orthodontics, however, the existing material preparation and its properties do not meet the requirements of orthodontic instruments. In this paper, SiC whiskers with high purity, high aspect ratio and stable properties were prepared by adding high hydrogen-containing silicone oil to ZTA ceramics to improve their fracture toughness and densities, and the ceramic matrix was prepared by gelation, curing and sintering with cellulose acrylic acid graft co-polymer as binder. In particular, the synergistic toughening effect with zirconia in the gel-injected film of oral bracket materials.

Fabrication of robust and room-temperature curable superhydrophobic composite coatings with breathable and anti-icing performance

Superhydrophobic surfaces show great application prospects in various fields, yet the tedious preparation process, sophisticated equipment, and poor durability restrict their large-scale practical applications. In this study, we proposed a simple and efficient approach to fabricating room-temperature curable superhydrophobic composite coatings by spraying the suspension composed of fluorinated silicon-based acrylic copolymer (FSC), amino-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and fluorinated SiO2 nanoparticles (SiO2-F) on various substrates. Due to the special molecular design, our prepared coatings can be cured at room temperature. The resultant FSC15/PDMS/SiO2-F nanocomposite coating containing 40 wt% SiO2-F exhibited excellent superhydrophobicity with a high WCA of 160.4° and a low SA of 1.5°. The prepared coating also displayed satisfactory breathability, preventing structural degradation of the superhydrophobic coatings used in architecture. More impressively, the composite coating can sustain its superior water repellency even after being subjected to harsh mechanical durability damage, including sandpaper abrasion, water dripping, tape peeling tests, and rigorous working conditions, such as corrosive liquid environment, UV illumination, extreme temperatures, and ultrahigh humidity. Besides, the water-freezing time on the coated concrete sample can be postponed to 1860 s at −15 ℃, and the ice adhesion strength was reduced to 56.7 kPa. The facility and universality of the composite coating ensured that it could be applied on diverse material surfaces, including ceramics, tinplate, wood, glass, sponge, fabric filter paper, and cotton, which indicates the potential for large-scale application in industry.

Template-Directed Polymerization of Binary Acrylate Monomers on Surface-Activated Lignin Nanoparticles in Toughening of Bio-Latex Films.

Fabricating bio-latex colloids with core-shell nanostructure is an effective method for obtaining films with enhanced mechanical characteristics. Nano-sized lignin is rising as a class of sustainable nanomaterials that can be incorporated into latex colloids. Fundamental knowledge of the correlation between surface chemistry of lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) and integration efficiency in latex colloids and from it thermally processed latex films are scarce. Here, an approach to integrate self-assembled nanospheres of allylated lignin as the surface-activated cores in a seeded free-radical emulsion copolymerization of butyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate is proposed. The interfacial-modulating function on allylated LNPs regulates the emulsion polymerization and it successfully produces a multi-energy dissipative latex film structure containing a lignin-dominated core (16% dry weight basis). At an optimized allyl-terminated surface functionality of 1.04mmol g-1 , the LNPs-integrated latex film exhibits extremely high toughness value above 57.7MJ m-3 . With multiple morphological and microstructural characterizations, the well-ordered packing of latex colloids under the nanoconfinement of LNPs in the latex films is revealed. It is concluded that the surface chemistry metrics of colloidal cores in terms of the abundance of polymerization-modulating anchors and their accessibility have a delicate control over the structural evolution of core-shell latex colloids.

Unusual Stress Upturn in Elastomers Prepared Using Macro Cross-Linkers with Multiple Vinyl Side Groups.

In this study, the unique tensile properties of acrylate elastomers prepared using macro cross-linker polymers with multiple vinyl side groups are analyzed. For the preparation of the macro cross-linker, poly(ethyl acrylate) copolymers bearing hydroxy functional groups are synthesized, followed by the hydroxy-isocyanate reaction with 2-isocyanatoethyl acrylate. Subsequently, the elastomers samples are prepared by UV polymerization of ethyl acrylate in the presence of the macro cross-linkers. The tensile properties of the elastomers in the small elongation region are similar to those of typical elastomers prepared using divinyl cross-linkers, whereas the stress upturn in the large elongation region is considerably different. The stress upturn varies based on the fraction of vinyl side groups in the macro cross-linkers, whereas stress in the small elongation region remains unchanged. These properties are analyzed using various theoretical models. The results reveal that there is artificial inhomogeneity in the cross-link density for samples prepared by the macro cross-linkers, where the short poly(ethyl acrylate) strands inside the macro cross-linker limit the overall chain stretchability. On the whole, this study demonstrates a new method for tuning elastomer properties, especially at large deformation.

Efficient Copolymerization of Ethylene with Polar Divinyl Monomer by Phosphino‐Phenolate Nickel Catalyst†

Comprehensive SummaryDirect copolymerization of olefin with polar monomers via a coordination‐insertion mechanism appears as the most efficient and attractive method to prepare functionalized polyolefins. Herein, we carried out direct copolymerization of ethylene and allyl acrylate by a bulky phosphino‐phenolate nickel catalyst, in which high‐molecular‐weight copolymers bearing polar five‐membered and six‐membered ring structures were afforded. Comprehensive NMR and FT‐IR analyses revealed multiplex structure of the obtained copolymers, in which both the noncyclic structural units bearing pendant allyl moiety (A) as well as acrylate moiety (B) and the cyclic structural units, γ‐butyrolactones (C) and δ‐valerolactone (D) were found. Exhilaratingly, the content of different structural units of the produced copolymer could be tuned by adjusting the concentration of the comonomer. Moreover, we also proved that the nickel‐based catalyst could produce related copolymers with significantly enhanced copolymer molecular weights in the copolymerization of allyl acrylate and ethylene compared with the palladium‐based catalyst under the same conditions.

RAFT-Mediated Emulsion Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly for the Synthesis of Core-Degradable Waterborne Particles.

Poly(N-acryloylmorpholine) (PNAM)-decorated waterborne nanoparticles comprising a core of either degradable polystyrene (PS) or poly(n-butyl acrylate) (PBA) were synthesized by polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) in water. A PNAM bearing a trithiocarbonate chain end (PNAM-TTC) was extended via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT)-mediated emulsion copolymerization of either styrene (S) or n-butyl acrylate (BA) with dibenzo[c,e]oxepane-5-thione (DOT). Well-defined amphiphilic block copolymers were obtained. The in situ self-assembly of these polymers resulted in the formation of stable nanoparticles. The insertion of thioester units in the vinylic blocks enabled their degradation under basic conditions. The same strategy was then applied to the emulsion copolymerization of BA with DOT using a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) equipped with a trithiocarbonate end group, resulting in PEG-decorated nanoparticles with degradable PBA-based cores.

Effective pretreatment for thermally-assisted hydrolysis and methylation GC-MS of intractably cross-linked acrylate copolymers

Thermally-assisted hydrolysis and methylation-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (THM-GC-MS) using tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) is an effective approach for the characterization of condensation polymers with ester linkages such as ultraviolet (UV)-cured acrylate resins. However, for intractably cured acrylic resins, reliable structural characterization is often difficult by conventional THM-GC-MS owing to insufficient THM reactions. In this study, a pretreatment to effectively improve THM efficiency was proposed, in which the resin sample was preliminarily soaked and dissolved in a TMAH-methanol solution in a microtube. An aliquot of the TMAH solution was then introduced into the pyrolyzer at 400 °C to produce THM-GC-MS. The effectiveness of the proposed pretreatment was demonstrated using a UV-cured acrylate copolymer consisting of bulky and high-molecular weight bifunctional acrylate (9,9-Bis[4-(2-acryloyloxy ethoxy) phenyl]fluorene) and monofunctional acylate (2-(9 H-Carbazol-9-yl)ethyl acrylate) monomers, for which THM reactions did not proceed efficiently in conventional THM-GC-MS. Conversely, by the modified THM-GC-MS process with a pretreatment involving immersion at room temperature for 24 h or at 60 °C for 30 min, the characteristic decomposition products for each monomer unit were clearly observed in the chromatograms, and the copolymer composition could be precisely estimated from the relative yields of the observed decomposition products. In addition, a methyl acrylate peak, formed from unreacted acrylate moieties in the photocured copolymer, appeared in the chromatogram. Its relative yields were correlated to the double bond conversion in the cured sample. The observed results were successfully interpreted to clarify the curing process of the photocured acrylate copolymer samples.

Preparation and characterization of pH and thermally responsive perfluoropolyether acrylate copolymer micelles and investigation its drug‐loading properties

AbstractIn this study, pH and thermally responsive P(PFPHM9‐b‐DMAEMA‐b‐PEGMEA480) was prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using perfluoropolyether hydroxyethyl methacrylate (PFPHM) as hydrophobic core, 2‐(Dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate as pH and thermal response function segment, and poly (ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate480 as hydrophilic shell, respectively. The chemical structure, critical micelle concentration (CMC), lower critical solution temperature (LCST), biological toxicity, stability of micelles, drug‐loading performance and cumulative drug release rate of prepared P(PFPHM9‐b‐DMAEMA‐b‐PEGMEA480) were analyzed by 19F NMR, 1H NMR, FTIR, DLS, UV–Vis, laser confocal microscopy and fluorescence spectrophotometer. The results show that P(PFPHM9‐b‐DMAEMA‐b‐PEGMEA480) exhibites a CMC of 7.5 g/L, LCST of 37.6°C and excellent micelle stability. Moreover, the analysis of drug‐loading indicates that the polymer displayed drug loading efficiency (DL) is 21.3% and the encapsulation efficiency (EE) is 90.0%. Its cumulative drug release rates at pH = 6.5 (42°C) is almost double of those at pH = 7.4 (42°C), pH = 6.5 (37°C) and pH = 7.4 (37°C). These results suggeste that the P(PFPHM9‐b‐DMAEMA‐b‐PEGMEA480) at pH ranging from 6.5 to 7.4 and temperature ranging from 37 to 42°C are pH and temperature sensitive. It has great potential application as a drug loading for DOX.

Principles and potential of solvent gradient size-exclusion chromatography for polymer analysis

The properties of a polymeric material are influenced by its underlying molecular distributions, including the molecular-weight (MWD), chemical-composition (CCD), and/or block-length (BLD) distributions. Gradient-elution liquid chromatography (LC) is commonly used to determine the CCD. Due to the limited solubility of polymers, samples are often dissolved in strong solvents. Upon injection of the sample, such solvents may lead to broadened or poorly shaped peaks and, in unfavourable cases, to “breakthrough” phenomena, where a part of the sample travels through the column unretained. To remedy this, a technique called size-exclusion-chromatography gradients or gradient size-exclusion chromatography (gSEC) was developed in 2011. In this work, we aim to further explore the potential of gSEC for the analysis of the CCD, also in comparison with conventional gradient-elution reversed-phase LC, which in this work corresponded to gradient-elution reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC). The influence of the mobile-phase composition, the pore size of the stationary-phase particles, and the column temperature were investigated. The separation of five styrene/ethyl acrylate copolymers was studied with one-dimensional RPLC and gSEC. RPLC was shown to lead to a more-accurate CCD in shorter analysis time. The separation of five styrene/methyl methacrylate copolymers was also explored using comprehensive two-dimensional (2D) LC involving gSEC, i.e. SEC × gSEC and SEC × RPLC. In 2D-LC, the use of gSEC was especially advantageous as no breakthrough could occur.

Alternating [1.1.1]Propellane‐(Meth)Acrylate Copolymers: A New Class of Dielectrics with High Energy Density for Film Capacitors

Front Cover: Article 2200888 by Zhi-Min Dang, Zi-Chen Li, and co-workers demonstrates the preparation of the alternating [1.1.1]propellane-(meth) acrylate copolymers with controlled molar masses by spontaneous copolymerization. The rigid non-conjugated bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane units in the backbone facilitate orientational polarization of side groups and ensure high breakdown strength of the copolymers. These copolymers exhibit promising energy storage properties and can be used as dielectrics for film capacitors in electric and electronic devices.

Degradation behavior of multilayer packaging films in the presence of a highly acidic sauce

Highly acidic condiments such as hot sauce can deteriorate multilayer packaging films. To date, only a multilayer polymeric film (polyethylene terephthalate/ink/polyethylene/foil/polyethylene/SiO x coated polyethylene terephthalate/adhesives/Barex®) utilizing a proprietary resin, Barex® as one of its polymeric layers can preserve hot sauce for military rations. However, the production of Barex® stopped in 2016. To identify substitutes for Barex®, an immersion study of films in hot sauce was conducted with several commercially available multilayer films (Polyethylene terephthalate/ink/adhesive/polyamide/adhesive/polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate/waste low-density polyethylene/aluminum foil/adhesive/polyester/low-density polyethylene) and a monolayer Barex® (acrylonitrile methyl acrylate copolymer) film. All films were immersed in hot sauce, acetic acid, and sodium chloride solutions at 50 °C for 12 weeks. The mass, thickness, morphology, and chemical compositions of each film were analyzed every three weeks. Hot sauce and acetic acid solution similarly deteriorated multilayer films, causing delamination and oxidative degradation, but not sodium chloride solutions. This indicates that the failure of the multilayer packaging of hot sauce was likely caused by the low pH environment, not heat or salt ions. The two primary innovations in this study are: 1) the finding that acidic components in hot sauce deteriorate multilayer packaging by transforming aluminum foil into a soluble salt and by oxidizing polyethylene, and 2) surface erosion plays a significant role in inducing polyethylene oxidation. This is the first study to describe how a highly acidic food deteriorates multilayer packaging used for military rations. Possible deterioration mechanism of the multilayered structure (Film 2) in presence of a highly acidic hot sauce. • Acetic acid in hot sauce reacts with aluminum foil used in multilayer films. • Acids in hot sauce oxidatively degrade polyethylene (PE) layers in multilayer films. • PE in multilayer films oxidizes more in hot sauce than in acetic acid solutions. • PE in multilayer films surface erodes when immersed in hot sauce and acetic acid. • Potential multilayer film is identified for replacing Barex® for military rations.