Valley View – – October 12, 2026 -- Peak Nano has secured R&D funding from the Greater Akron Polymer Innovation Hub to develop nanolayered biodegradable multilayer polymer films for food, beverage and medical packaging, one of eight projects selected from more than 40 regional proposals.
Peak Nano targets hard-to-recycle multilayer barrier films
The Ohio company aims to replace conventional multilayer packaging film, which can contain many tightly bonded layers of polymers and additives that are difficult or impossible to recycle. Over time these materials fragment and shed micro- and nanoparticles into soils and waterways. Peak Nano says its alternative will keep barrier performance intact while being engineered for biodegradability.
NanoPlex technology stacks thousands of controlled polymer layers
The patented NanoPlexTM platform was developed at Case Western Reserve University with polymer scientists Eric Baer and Lei Zhu. It builds films from thousands of precisely controlled layers rather than melted blends, allowing several polymer characteristics to be combined in one material. Tunable properties include molecular permeability, biodegradability, conductivity and insulation. Nanolayer coextrusion and biaxial orientation also raise oxygen and water-vapor resistance, so the films can withstand converting and packaging operations.
Chief Scientific Officer Michael Ponting said the approach gives converters the barrier and mechanical properties they need with a "much better end-of-life story."
$42 million hub program funds eight polymer projects over four years
The Hub is powered by the Polymer Industry Cluster and the Greater Akron Chamber. It is deploying a $42 million Innovation Hubs award, including matching funds, over four years. The money will advance shared R&D priorities, stand up a polymer pilot facility and support startups and scaleups. Peak Nano's project sits alongside funded initiatives in biobased materials, recyclable packaging, eco-polymer platforms and performance materials.
Hans Dorfi, Executive Director and Chief Innovation Officer of the Polymer Industry Cluster, said the project pairs materials science with the region's polymer and advanced manufacturing expertise.
Prototype testing on commercial equipment starts the roadmap to scale
In the current phase, Peak Nano and its partners will produce prototype biodegradable nanolayer film systems and test them on commercial food and medical packaging equipment. Later phases cover biodegradability testing, cost and scale-up modeling, and a commercialization roadmap for supplying brand owners and converters at scale. Peak Nano expects to use its Ohio manufacturing footprint and regional partners to bring the materials to broader commercial use.
Jean-Claude Kihn, former CTO of The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and Co-Chair of the Hub's Innovation & Commercialization Committee, said backing the scale-up in Ohio will help turn the state's polymer heritage into next-generation materials and high-value jobs.