Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA)

Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA)

Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymers are the fourth-largest derivative of vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) after polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), polyvinyl acetate (which is both consumed as is and converted into PVOH), and vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE). EVA is a copolymer of vinyl acetate with ethylene that differs from VAE in the ratio of VAM to ethylene.

Another innovative end use for EVA is in controlled-release pharmaceutical applications.
Hydrolysis of EVA generates the copolymer ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH). EVOH has good barrier properties and so is used in food packaging as an oxygen barrier to improve shelf life, as well as in automotive gasoline tanks as a hydrocarbon barrier. Unlike its VAE counterparts, EVAs are solid materials.