Coating for the adhesive-receiving surface of polymeric labels

1. A coated thermoplastic film label comprising:

(a) a thermoplastic film comprising:

(i) a first skin layer comprising a thermoplastic wherein the first skin layer has a first side and a second side, wherein the first skin layer is voided and wherein the first side has an open-cell structure;

(ii) a core layer comprising a polyolefin, wherein the core layer has a first side and a second side, and the first side of the core layer is adjacent to the second side of the first skin layer; and

(iii) a second skin layer comprising a polyolefin, wherein the second skin layer has a first side and a second side, the first side of the second skin layer is adjacent to the second side of the core layer, wherein the second side of the second skin layer has a closed-cell structure and wherein the second side is suitable for a surface treatment selected from the group consisting of flame, corona, and plasma treatment; metallization, coating, printing; and combinations thereof, and

(b) an inorganic coating on the first side of the first skin layer, wherein said inorganic coating has a coating weight in the range of about 0.05 g/m 2 to about 0.3 g/m 2 .

2. The thermoplastic label film of claim 1 wherein the inorganic coating has a coating weight in the range of about 0.08 g/m 2 to about 0.2 g/m 2 .

3. The thermoplastic label film of claim 1 wherein the inorganic coating is in the form of a continuous layer on the first side of the first skin layer.

4. The thermoplastic label film of claim 1 wherein the inorganic coating is in the form of a non-continuous layer on the first side of the first skin layer.

5. The thermoplastic label film of claim 1 wherein the second side of the second skin layer is metallized or glossy.

6. The thermopasic label film of claim 5 , wherein the static coefficient of friction between the inorganic coated side and the metallized or glossy second side of the second skin layer is less than about 0.45.

7. The thermoplastic label film of claim 1 wherein the surface resistivity of the inorganic coated side is less than about 14 log ohms/square when the relative humidity is at least 50%.

8. The thermoplastic label film of claim 1 wherein the surface resistivity of the metallized or glossy second side of the second skin layer is less than about 14 log ohms/square when the relative humidity is at least 50%.

9. The thermoplastic label film of claim 5 wherein the metallized second side or glossy second side of the second skin layer is coated with a polymeric coating.

10. The thermoplastic label film of claim 1 wherein the second side of the second skin layer has a rough, non-glossy coating wherein said a rough, non-glossy coating has a surface roughness (R a ) greater than 0.20 microns.

11. A coated thermoplastic label film according to claim 1 wherein the inorganic coating comprises calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, sodium magnesium fluorosilicate, synthetic sodium hectorite, white bentonite, montmorillonite, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, colloidal silica, amorphous silica, talc, alkaline silicate salts, water glass or combinations thereof.

12. A coated thermoplastic label film according to claim 1 wherein the inorganic coating comprises sodium magnesium fluorosilicate and tetrasodium pyrophosphate.

13. The thermoplastic label film of claim 1 wherein the inorganic coating comprises at least about 75 wt % of inorganic material.

14. The thermoplastic label film of claim 1 wherein the inorganic coating comprises at least 90 wt % of inorganic material.

15. The thermoplastic label film of claim 1 wherein the thermoplastic of the first skin layer comprises polypropylene or polyethylene.

16. The thermoplastic label film of claim 1 wherein the polyolefin of the second skin layer comprises polypropylene, polybutylene, polyethylene, polyolefin copolymers or mixtures thereof.

17. The thermoplastic label film of claim 1 wherein the polyolefin of the core layer comprises polypropylene.

18. The thermoplastic label of claim 1 wherein the core layer is voided.

19. The thermoplastic film label of claim 1 wherein the label has a thickness from about 1 mil to about 10 mils.

20. The thermoplastic label film of claim 1 wherein the first skin layer comprises a first voiding agent selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polybutylene terephthalate, polyesters, acetals, acrylic resins, solid preformed glass spheres, hollow preformed glass spheres, metal beads, metal spheres, ceramic spheres, calcium carbonate, cyclic olefin polymers, cyclic olefin copolymers, silicon dioxide, aluminum silicate, magnesium silicate and mixtures thereof.

21. The thermoplastic film label of claim 20 wherein the first voiding agent comprises at least about 25% to at least about 50% by weight of the first skin layer.

22. The thermoplastic film label of claim 20 wherein the first voiding agent has a median particle size of about 1 to 5 microns.

23. The thermoplastic film label of claim 1 further comprising: a first tie layer comprising polypropylene wherein the first tie layer has a first side and a second side and the first side of the first tie layer is adjacent to the second side of the first skin layer; and wherein the first side of the core layer is adjacent to the second side of the first tie layer.

24. The thermoplastic film label of claim 23 further comprising: a second tie layer comprising polypropylene wherein the second tie layer has a first side and a second side and the second side of the second tie layer is adjacent to the first side of the second skin layer; and wherein the second side of the core layer is adjacent to the first side of the second tie layer.

25. A coated thermoplastic film label comprising:

(a) a thermoplastic film comprising:

(i) a first skin layer comprising oriented polypropylene or highly crystalline polypropylene, wherein the first skin layer has a first side and a second side, wherein the first skin layer further comprises calcium carbonate;

(ii) a core layer comprising oriented polypropylene or highly crystalline polypropylene, wherein the core layer has a first side and a second side, and the first side of the core layer is adjacent to the second side of the first skin layer, wherein the core layer further comprises calcium carbonate; and

(iii) a second skin layer comprising a propylene-ethylene copolymer, wherein the second skin layer has a first side and a second side, the first side of the second skin layer is adjacent to the second side of the core layer, wherein the second side of the second skin layer has a closed-cell structure and wherein the second side is metallized or glossy,

(iv) a first tie layer comprising oriented polypropylene or highly crystalline polypropylene, wherein the first tie layer has a first side and a second side, wherein the first side of the first tie layer is adjacent to the second side of the first skin layer; and wherein the first side of the core layer is adjacent to the second side of the first tie layer, and

(v) a second tie layer comprising oriented polypropylene or highly crystalline polypropylene wherein the second tie layer has a first side and a second side wherein the second side of the second tie layer is adjacent to the first side of the second skin layer; and wherein the second side of the core layer is adjacent to the first side of the second tie layer, and

(b) an inorganic coating on the first side of the first skin layer, wherein said coating comprises sodium magnesium fluorosilicate and tetrasodium pyrophosphate.