In the present research, the properties of ultraviolet (UV) visible (daylight invisible) fluorescent coatings modified by the addition of SiO2 and TiO2 nanoparticles were studied. Structural, surface, and mechanical properties and changes in the coatings caused by accelerated ageing were analyzed. The results showed that the addition of nanoparticles caused the changes in unaged and aged printed coatings. Reflectance measurements of modified coatings showed that addition of TiO2 nanoparticles improved the visual effect of the unaged coatings. Furthermore, results have shown that the addition of SiO2 did not diminish the reflectance of the modified coatings after ageing. The results of roughness measurements showed that the addition of SiO2 decreased roughness after the ageing process, probably due to the degradation process indicated by Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. The roughness of the coatings with TiO2 nanoparticles was increased after the ageing on the samples with higher concentrations of TiO2 due to the agglomerates of plastisol formed on the surface of the coatings, visible in SEM images. Surface analysis of coatings showed that TiO2 caused an increase in the polarity of the surface coatings. Results of the bending stiffness showed that the addition of the nanoparticles to the coating, especially of SiO2, significantly improved the bending stiffness of the unaged samples.

In this research a biodegradable blend of poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is proposed as a new material for the production of a relief printing plate used for special applications on packaging materials, i.e., the embossing process. Coconut fibers (CFs) were added as a natural filler to PCL/PLA blends to improve the functional properties of the prepared blends. Thermal, mechanical and surface analyses were performed on the unaged and artificially aged blends. The results showed that CF has been proven to optimize the hardness of the blend, which is crucial for the production of relief plate for embossing applications. The lowest hardness was measured on neat PCL (53.30° Sh D) and the highest value on PCL/PLA/CF 70/30/3.0 blend (60.13° Sh D). Stronger interfacial interactions were present at the PLA/CF interface because the interfacial free energy is closer to zero and the work of adhesion and spreading coefficient are higher than for the PCL/CF interface. The results of thermal analysis of unaged and aged blends showed that ageing for 3 weeks resulted in significantly lower thermal stability, especially for neat PCL and PCL/PLA 80/20 blends. Blends with a higher content of PLA and CF showed a slightly increased ageing resistance, which is attributed to the increased crystallinity of PLA after ageing due to the addition of CF showed in the DSC diagrams.

In the present research, properties and performance of special effect printing inks were observed with the aim of obtaining a printed product with dual functional properties. Thermochromic liquid crystal-based printing ink (TLC) and UV-visible (daylight invisible) fluorescent inks (UVF), pure and as hybrid ink systems, were printed using a screen-printing technique on two types of uncoated paper substrates. Characterization of the paper substrates was performed, as well as detailed analysis of printed layers. Thickness, surface roughness, surface free energy, and adhesion parameters of printed layers were analysed. Spectral reflectance of pure UVF and TLC printing inks, as well as the spectral reflectance of the proposed hybrid ink systems were measured. The thermochromic effect of the TLC ink and hybrid systems was analysed. Microscopy was used to display the visual colour play effect and the effect of the fluorescence. Results of the measurements showed high compatibility of used materials in the proposed hybrid ink systems. Since the effect of luminescence and the colour play effect in the hybrid systems were preserved, it can be concluded that TLC/UVF hybrid ink systems can find their application in the development of functional packaging and in all other applications with special requirements for temperature monitoring and hidden information for different products.

In this research study, the applicability of polycaprolactone‐silicon dioxide and polycaprolactone‐zinc oxide coatings used as primers on papers for offset printing, was analysed. Polycaprolactone nanocomposites with different concentrations of nanoparticles were prepared and coated onto three types of papers: uncoated, low‐coated and gloss. The main aim was to analyse the influence of the nanoparticle concentration in primer on the optical and colorimetric properties of cyan and magenta offset printed samples. To further evaluate the applicability of the primers, the tensile strength of primed samples and their surface properties were analysed. Results show that prepared primers are primarily applicable on uncoated and low coated papers. Both nanoparticles in specific concentrations increased gloss values for printed samples on low‐coated paper, and the addition of both types of nanoparticles increased the rub resistance of printed samples. Furthermore, for each type of nanoparticle, the optimal concentration at which the colour deviation on print was minimised could be defined. Adding nanoparticles to primers did not significantly improve mottling on cyan‐printed samples. However, by increasing the concentration of nanoparticles in the primer by up to 1%, the mottling on magenta‐printed samples decreased.

In this study, the mechanical and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blends with an addition of poly(ε–caprolactone) (PCL) and fumed silica (SiO2) were evaluated to research the possibility of their use as relief printing plates for embossing processes. PCL and nano-silica were added to the PLA matrix at different concentrations. Morphological, thermal and mechanical analyses were performed to determine the properties and possible functional characteristics of the studied blends. SEM micrographs showed that unmodified PLA/PCL blends exhibit a morphology typical of incompatible blends with clearly visible spherical domains of dispersed PCL in PLA. In particular, the results of the hardness tests showed that the selected blends have the optimal hardness (between 65 SH D and 75 SH D) for use in the embossing process. The tensile tests showed that the addition of nano-silica to neat PLA and to the PLA/PCL blends 50/50 and 60/40 improved the mechanical properties of the blends, especially stiffness and toughness. The DMA results showed that the addition of smaller amounts of SiO2 can contribute to an increase in storage modulus, which is due to good dispersion and distribution of SiO2 in the matrix. DSC analysis showed that the addition of PCL to PLA polymer increased the thermal stability of PLA and that the addition of nano-silica increased the degree of crystallinity of PLA. The TGA results showed that the addition of nano-silica improved the thermal degradation behavior of the studied blends, especially for blends modified with 3 wt% nano-silica. The results show that it is possible to optimize the mechanical and thermal properties of the blends with the aim of using them in the embossing process.