Trust the Literature, But Verify – Case Study of Starch Acetate as a Barrier Material Under Jungle Conditions

Abstract

A case study is presented in which several articles and patents suggested a specific outcome. When the actual experimental work was performed, the results were found to be several orders of magnitude away from predicted values. Close re-inspection of the literature suggested that most of the authors actually extrapolated the results to conditions that were not applicable to their specific studies, resulting in the reporting errors. It is important to use literature to assist in research, but it is equally important not to blindly follow it either.

Keywords

• starch acetate
• literature
• patents
• barrier
• humidity conditions
• wvtr