Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Ohio University, 2023, Business Administration

This research explores the value of secondary packaging of luxury items and its impact on consumers' post-purchase experience. Using a mixed methods approach, this research employed three studies to better understand this topic. First, qualitative in-depth interviews were completed with Gen Z luxury consumers who had kept their packaging after acquiring a luxury brand item. From these interviews, three overarching themes of secondary packaging emerged: packaging is considered to be an extension of self and an art form, packaging tells a long-lasting story, and five types of actions (i.e., keep, display, store, reuse, and throw away) are taken by consumers when it comes to their luxury brand packaging. Next, several luxury and non-luxury brands were pre-tested to confirm that respondents viewed Dior and Prada as equally luxurious, and Old Navy as distinct (i.e., non-luxury). An online experiment with a hypothetical gifting scenario and a between-subjects design was employed (1) to measure price assessment of three layers of secondary packaging associated with luxury vs. non-luxury brands, (2) to determine the type of post-purchase actions with packaging, and (3) to discover the respondents' social media sharing behavior as pertaining to the different levels of secondary packaging. Moderating effects of luxury sensitivity, need for status, and product status consumption were also tested. Though the experiment found there was not a significant difference in dollar valuation among the three levels of secondary packaging, luxury secondary packaging did hold value for consumers. Consumers are more likely to post images of secondary packaging on social media for luxury brands than non-luxury brands. None of the moderating effects were found to have a significant effect between packaging layer and price. This research represents a start to understanding an important and understudied area of post purchase consumption of secondary packaging for luxury brands and how Gen Z lux (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Moumita Gyomlai (Advisor); Dr. Jessica Weeks (Advisor) Subjects: Business Administration; Marketing

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2010, Mechanical Engineering

Product packaging materials constitute a significant portion of the municipal solid waste stream in the United States. The purpose of this thesis was to redesign an existing packaging system to be more sustainable and have less impact on the environment. Three methods of increasing packaging system sustainability were studied: materials replacement, dematerialization, and value-added design. A product family of children's die cast toy cars was selected as a case study. The primary packaging of the toys consists of paperboard and plastic blisters. These packages are transported in corrugated cardboard boxes that are unitized on wooden pallets with stretch wrap. The redesign system replaces the paperboard and plastic primary packaging with molded pulp packaging. Molded pulp is a compostable material created from recycled cellulose-based products and water using a vacuum forming process. Although the material is commonly used in packaging applications, its material properties are not standardized. The elastic modulus and yield strength of molded pulp specimens were determined through tensile testing. Compression tests were performed and then simulated through finite element analysis in order to validate the experimentally-determined material properties. The redesigned packaging system eliminated the use of cardboard boxes. The primary packages were designed to be stacked and wrapped onto pallets without the use of additional secondary packaging materials. This reduced the amount of necessary packaging materials while still protecting and transporting the toys. Finally, the primary packages were designed to fulfill users' needs across multiple use environments. The packages were designed to transport, protect, and display the toys within retail environments; however, they were also designed to be incorporated into play behaviors of children. The redesigned packages would transcend product protection by fulfilling additional needs of the users. This would spur further (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Blaine Lilly PhD (Advisor); Gary Kinzel PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Mechanical Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2013, Food Science and Technology

Edible films and coatings are increasingly being used as carriers of functional additives including antimicrobial agents. Consumer interest in naturally-derived antimicrobials has also increased. Plant extracts such as grape seed and green tea extracts are known to have antiviral as well as antibacterial activities. Even though there are several researches that have investigated the use of edible films and coatings as carriers of antimicrobial agents against foodborne bacterial pathogens, unfortunately data is lacking on the use of these same technologies on foodborne viruses. Therefore, this study seeks to develop edible films and coatings that can control foodborne viruses. The film's antibacterial and mechanical properties were also tested. Chapters 1 and 2 introduce and review previous researches in edible films and coatings. Topics such as the types of biopolymer, film formation methods and mechanisms, foodborne viruses and bacteria, as well as edible film characterization and properties are discussed. Chapter 3 of this study investigated the virucidal activity of green tea extract (GTE) dissolved in deionized water and also incorporated into chitosan film forming solutions (FFS) and into chitosan films. For comparison, the antibacterial activity of the films was also investigated against Listeria innocua and Escherichia coli K12. The viral infectivity after treatments was measured by plaque assays. The 1, 1.5 and 2.5% aqueous GTE solutions significantly (p<0.05) reduced murine norovirus (MNV-1) plaques by 1.69, 2.47, and 3.26 log after 3 h exposure, respectively. Similarly, the FFS containing 2.5 and 5.0% GTE reduced MNV-1 counts by 2.45 and 3.97 log10 PFU/ml, respectively after 3 h exposure. Additionally, the edible films enriched with the GTE (5, 10 and 15%) were also effective against MNV-1. After a 24 h incubation period, the 5 and 10% GTE films significantly (p<0.05) resulted in MNV-1 titer reductions of 1.60 and 4.50 log10 PFU/ml, respectively. The (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Melvin Pascall PhD (Advisor); Jianrong Li PhD (Committee Member); Jiyoung Lee PhD (Committee Member); John Litchfield PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Food Science

MA, Kent State University, 2020, College of the Arts / School of Fashion

The fashion industry is responsible for four percent of the world's waste which has led to several staggering problems including overflowing landfills and microplastics from fiber production penetrating waterways. The purpose of this research was to compare the attitudes of fashion retail merchandising professionals and their packaging and merchandising waste. By understanding these attitudes and the waste created in the entire retail supply chain, it provides businesses with possible solutions for addressing sustainability in their supply chain. This study utilized an explanatory sequential design method to examine behaviors, attitudes, and current practices of individuals working in the fashion industry and of retail consumers. Data was first collected through one-on-one qualitative interviews with individuals who have worked in their position in the fashion industry for more than a year. The data was analyzed which suggested themes and subsequent questions for a quantitative survey of fashion consumers and a larger number of retail professionals. The study revealed that consumers and retail workers are overwhelmed by the amount of waste created in the retail sector and have a strong desire to implement change. Furthermore, there is a need to integrate communication between corporate leadership and retail employees allowing them to voice their opinions and suggest solutions. Addressing these issues has revealed possible best practices for retailers to implement policies for properly disposing of retail and merchandising waste and investigate ways to reduce packaging from their products. The findings of this study extend the knowledge of sustainability in the fashion industry and how companies can implement them into their business model.

Committee: Noel Palomo-Lovinski (Advisor) Subjects: Design; Fine Arts; Packaging; Textile Research

MFIS, Kent State University, 2020, College of the Arts / School of Fashion

The fashion industry struggles to address the waste accompanying overconsumption. Packaging, an inherent component of purchases (particularly in online settings), poses a particular dilemma. Current endeavors to decrease the environmental harm of packaging may only be suited to particular companies and can be expensive and time consuming to develop. Furthermore, products or packaging marketed as environmentally friendly are often associated with a price premium. Without a perceived personal benefit, consumers often forgo their sustainable values, discouraging development of sustainable initiatives. Prospect Theory positions that individuals tend to take different action based on the gain or loss frame. Literature suggests that references interact with frames, producing different results. Therefore, this study uses a 2 (frame: gain/loss) x 2 (reference: personal/societal) x 2 (green consumer value: high/low) mixed method online experiment in which consumers were shown one of four message combinations and offered the choice of no poly bag and a polybag. Analysis revealed that while the message did not have a significant effect on packaging selection, 74.73% fewer polybags were used because the option was present. Multiple 3 way ANOVAs revealed that brand attitude and purchase intention were affected by frame; frame and reference interacted to affect attitude towards the packaging initiative and brand attitude; and that green consumer values acted as a moderator in certain cases. Overall, this study provides a starting strategy for packaging initiatives and outlines message architecture to better promote sustainable behavior and positive attitudes for customers with both low and high green consumer values.

Committee: Gargi Bhaduri Ph.D. (Advisor); Lawrence Marks Ph.D. (Committee Member); Noël Palomo-Lovinski M.F.A. (Committee Member) Subjects: Design; Environmental Management; Marketing; Packaging; Sustainability

MFA, Kent State University, 2019, College of Communication and Information / School of Visual Communication Design

The rapid growth of municipal solid waste (MSW) is considered one of the serious environmental issues that our planet Earth is facing, and packaging waste contributes to an extensive part of municipal solid waste. Our increasing level of concerns and awareness about environmental issues has influenced many industrial corporations to incorporate sustainability principles into their packaging designs. However, while these companies put much effort into developing innovative technologies and materials to manufacture their sustainable packaging, developing compelling visual communication methods is overlooked in order to effectively interact with consumers about their sustainability development. Corporations and designers need to acknowledge that implementing effective signs is as critical as developing methods or materials for sustainable packaging to resonate with many consumers since they are ultimately the end-users of the packaging. Visual and verbal signs on packaging have a major role in branding products and communicating with consumers. Therefore, signs such as logos and labels on packaging can be a tool to promote the value of sustainable packaging and educate consumers on the importance of sustainability. Educating consumers is essential in order to modify their purchasing and consuming behavior to be environmentally responsible, which consequently help reduce preventable waste. This thesis is an investigation into developing compelling visual and verbal signs on sustainable packaging to effectively communicate with consumers to enrich sustainability in our society. The findings of this thesis provide insights into consumer needs and difficulties toward sustainable packaging and sustainability signs. This study also broadens the knowledge base of designers and corporations creating a successful visual communication on sustainable packaging, and its significance in modifying consumer behavior.

Committee: Jessica Barness (Advisor); Aoife Mooney (Committee Member); David Middleton (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Design

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1962, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2024, Food Science and Technology

This study promotes the film degradation by incorporating Clostridium acetobutylicum into bio-based packaging films such as pectin films, gelatin films and blended films of gelatin and polylactic acid (PLA). The primary object is to use these biodegradable packaging films as alternatives to current petroleum-based plastics to solve the problem of waste accumulation in landfills. Incorporation of spores requires evaluation of the film from two aspects. The first and most important one is to understand the degrading effect of spores on the film. By monitoring the content of carbon dioxide and by-products such as organic acids and solvents produced during spore growth, as well as the detection of optical density, the degradation process of the film by the spores and the growth of microorganisms can be known. A significant production of carbon dioxide, acetic acid, butyric acid and the ethanol and butanol formed by their conversion were detected. At the same time, the increased optical density was also considered to be the turbidity of the culture solution caused by the germination of a large number of microorganisms. These test results indicate that the spores can use the films as a nutrient source to accelerate growth. The films with spores can be efficiently degraded in an anaerobic environment. On the other hand, while pursuing the degradation rate, the films as a packaging needs to ensure that spores will not have a negative impact on its function, by checking the mechanical and thermal properties, barrier properties and morphology. The storage and loss modulus and tan delta, glass transition temperature, water vapor permeability and crystallinity of the films were rigorously analyzed. A significant impact was not revealed from the addition of spore in the films. This shows that the addition of spores not only increases the degradation rate of film packaging when it is thrown into an anaerobic landfill environment, but also maintains the performance of th (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Melvin Pascall (Advisor); Ahmed Yousef (Committee Member); Thaddeus Ezeji (Committee Member) Subjects: Food Science

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME), Wright State University, 2024, Mechanical Engineering

Heterogeneous integration (HI) is currently being investigated to maintain the pace of technological progress in the electronics industry. With the recent acceleration witnessed in additive manufacturing (AM) technology, interest has been expressed in introducing aerosol jet (AJ) printing to the fabrication process for sensors and electronic packages. Integrating AM technology in these areas promises design flexibility and minimal material waste. Three AJ printed applications investigated in this work include strain sensors, electrical interconnects, and metal embedded chip assemblies. Before moving forward with the use of AJ printing in these applications, it is necessary to evaluate their performance under standard mechanical testing. This work aims to assess the mechanical reliability of devices and interconnects which are manufactured using hybridized AJ printing techniques. The devices considered for this research include three passivated strain gauges, three non-passivated strain gauges, 28 electrical interconnects, and three additive MECA packages. The mechanical reliability of samples are assessed by subjecting the samples to a variety of standardized tests including vibration, shock, and thermal loading while tracking their performance.

Committee: Ahsan Mian Ph.D. (Advisor); Carrie M. Bartsch Ph.D. (Committee Member); Daniel Young Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Engineering; Mechanical Engineering

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2024, Food Science and Technology

Two polymer coatings derived from spent coffee grounds were explored as a bio-sourced biodegradable alternative to traditional petroleum-based non-biodegradable plastic coatings used commonly in food packaging. The aim of this research is to formulate a bioplastic coating derived from spent coffee grounds that can serve as a viable alternative to current petroleum-based wax films used in the food packaging industry. Water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) and oxygen transmission rate (OTR) tests were conducted to assess the coatings' barrier properties. Results indicated inferior water vapor resistance compared to the control, yet an enhanced water barrier of the cardboard alone. The coffee oil coating demonstrated superior OTR performance compared to the other samples. Biodegradability experiments conducted over 73 days revealed partial degradation of the coffee oil coated cardboard, showing potential as a bio-sourced biodegradable alternative. However, challenges encountered in biodegradability testing methodology require further investigation. Crystallization and thermal analysis revealed differences between cured and uncured samples, indicating structural changes during curing. Rheological analysis demonstrated Newtonian behavior in uncured samples and shear thinning in cured samples, providing insights into material behavior under increased deformation rates. Adhesion tests confirmed polymer adhesion to cardboard, with no observed odor or microbial growth. Overall, the coffee oil coating presents a promising option for sustainable food packaging, but further research is necessary to optimize properties.

Committee: Yael Vodovotz (Advisor); Emmanuel Hatzakis (Committee Member); Katrina Cornish (Committee Member) Subjects: Food Science; Packaging; Plastics; Sustainability

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2024, Food Science and Technology

This study explores the development of an environmentally friendly, bio-based packaging film by integrating Clostridium acetobutylicum spores into a tapioca matrix. The primary objective is to enhance the biodegradability of the film when disposed of in landfill-like conditions, addressing crucial issues of sustainability and contributing to a circular economy. The research delves into the roles and impacts of conventional and bio-based food packaging materials on the environment, emphasizing the 'cradle to grave' cycle of food packaging. Methodologically, the study encompasses the preparation of the tapioca films, followed by a thorough examination of their mechanical and barrier properties. These properties are critically analyzed through tensile testing, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), X-ray diffraction, oxygen transfer rate tests, and water vapor permeability (WVP) assessments. The statistical analysis of these tests provides a comprehensive understanding of the material's performance. Additionally, the thesis conducts an in-depth investigation into the degradation rate of the tapioca films containing Clostridium acetobutylicum spores. This is achieved by monitoring factors such as carbon-dioxide evolution, optical density, and by-products analysis offering insights into the biodegradation process under simulated landfill conditions. Overall, this research contributes significantly to the field of sustainable packaging, presenting a novel approach to tackling the environmental challenges posed by conventional food packaging materials.

Committee: Melvin Pascall (Advisor); Lynn Knipe (Committee Member); Ahmed Yousef (Committee Member) Subjects: Food Science; Packaging

Master of Science, University of Toledo, 2023, Chemical Engineering

Multilayer plastics (MLPs) have become one of the most common food packaging materials. By combining multiple polymer types with distinct advantageous properties (e.g., water, light, or oxygen barrier properties), they extend the product shelf life while using less material. Yet, MLPs are challenging to recycle because their layers are difficult to separate, and this difficulty now presents a formidable sustainability challenge. To this end, we have developed new tie-layer materials through the complex coacervation (i.e., self-assembly) between the cationic polyelectrolyte, polyallylamine (PAH) and unsaturated, anionic fatty acids (either oleic acid or linoleic acid). Akin to the liquifying effects of double bonds in cis-unsaturated fats, the double bonds in these fatty acid tails imparted the otherwise-flaky PAH/surfactant complex precipitates with either moldable semisolid or liquid (coacervate) properties. These coacervates were prepared in two different solvents (water and ethanol) and were capable of (1) adhering two dissimilar plastic layers, (2) dissociating during recycling, thus enabling facile separation of MLP layers for further processing, and (3) as a bonus, serving as oxygen scavengers. These complexes exhibited tunable rheological properties, which ranged from viscous liquids (when solvated in ethanol) to putty-like semisolids (when formed in water) and coincided with solvent-dependent changes in their microstructure, where replacing water with ethanol led to a disruption of their lamellar order. Moreover, when prepared as low-viscosity dispersions of submicron coacervate droplets suspended in ethanol, these coacervates could be easily spread onto plastic substrates and (on partial drying) formed adhesive films that could bond dissimilar plastic layers, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), with fewer defects and higher adhesion strengths than those achieved by spreading macro (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Yakov Lapitsky (Committee Chair); Maria Coleman (Committee Member); Joseph Lawrence (Committee Co-Chair) Subjects: Chemical Engineering; Chemistry; Packaging

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2022, Food Science and Technology

Pectin has the potential to be used as food packaging materials based on its natural properties such as mechanical strength and barrier properties. Due to the sustainable, non-toxic and biodegradable characteristics of pectin, many research have been focused on the development of pectin films and improvement of their properties by adding plasticizers, crosslinking agents and active compounds. In this study, the effect of glycerol and green tea extract (GTE) concentrations on the mechanical, morphologies, barrier and antioxidant properties of pectin films were investigated. The effect of different concentrations of glycerol (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40% w/w of pectin) on the thicknesses, mechanical strengths, storage/loss moduli, glass transition temperatures (Tg), chemical structures, crystallinity structures, moisture contents and gas permeabilities of low methoxyl pectin films enriched with 1% CaCl2 (w/w of pectin) were investigated and reported in Chapter 2. The mechanical strength of the films was tested from the results of tensile testing. The thicknesses, percent elongations and moisture contents increased with increasing concentrations of glycerol in the pectin films, whereas the tensile strength, Tg, and elastic and storage moduli increased with increasing glycerol contents. The FTIR results showed increasing ester and hydrogen bond formations with increased concentrations of glycerol in the pectin. The XRD results revealed that the crystallinity of the films decreased as a result of increasing glycerol concentrations, while the oxygen and water vapor barrier properties decreased due to the higher concentrations of glycerol. These results showed that glycerol can be used for the relaxation of the polymeric chains of pectin while reducing its tensile strength, stiffness and gas barrier properties. The effects of green tea extract (GTE) concentrations (0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5% w/w of pectin) on the thicknesses, mechanical strength, storage/loss moduli, glass transiti (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Melvin Pascall (Advisor); Lynn Knipe (Committee Member); Hua Wang (Committee Member) Subjects: Food Science; Materials Science; Packaging

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Power electronics have been an integral part of any power system and high-power wide bandgap (WBG) devices are very attractive owing to their high switching frequency and high efficiency. Large bandgap and high breakdown field make WBG semiconductors very attractive for high-power devices. However, there are a lot of critical challenges when it comes to the efficiency and reliability of designing, fabricating, and packaging such high-power devices. Challenges range from the material properties such as mobility, saturation velocity, thermal conductivity, defect density etc. to the cost of the substrate or availability of the process for epi-layer growth, fabrication, or thermal packaging. This Ph D. research focuses on addressing some of these issues in the development of WBG semiconductor devices with proper thermal packaging for high-power applications. The key contributions of this work towards the high-power devices using WBG semiconductors are: (1) Designing the proper device structure for high-power vertical GaN PN diodes on bulk GaN structures. This includes analytical and numerical simulations to determine different attributes of the structure from the thickness of each layer to the doping concentration. Designing the device structure also includes determining the proper edge termination techniques such as mesa or guard rings for field management. Finally understanding the effects of different kinds of passivation dielectrics on a high-power vertical PN diode. A mix of thin high-k dielectric and a thicker low-k dielectric helps not only to reduce the leakage current but also with electric field management to increase the breakdown voltage. (2) Fabrication and Measurement of the vertical GaN PN diodes for various applications, ranging from low (1 kV) to high (>5 kV) voltage applications. A big issue that this work concentrates on is achieving ohmic contacts for the anode on the pGaN layer of the PN diode. This work reports the lowest p-contact resistance of mi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Wu Lu (Advisor) Subjects: Electrical Engineering; Nanotechnology; Solid State Physics

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2022, Engineering

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is used in packaging and textile industries such as in productions of water bottles and packaging of soft drinks. As the PET products have short lifetimes, they turn into waste rapidly. Since the market for PET products has been constantly expanding, the rate of PET waste has been increased. This may negatively affect the environment and living species. In addition, PET is produced from fossil fuels, a limited resource that should be reserved to decrease the adverse effects of its applications on the environment. Therefore, recycling has been proposed as a resolution to PET waste. Chemical recycling can decompose PET to the associated oligomers and monomers. This may provide an alternative resource for reproduction of PET and subsequently PET products. In this dissertation, hydrolysis was studied- a technique for chemically recycling of PET waste. In chemical recycling, the factors affecting the rate of PET decomposition are PET shape, PET size, reaction temperature, reaction pressure, catalyst type, catalyst concentration, and surface wetting. Few studies are reported on surface wetting. So, the main interest of this dissertation was to explore the effect of surface wetting on the rate of PET decomposition in hydrolysis reactions. In this dissertation, series of catalysts were introduced that could increase the rate of PET decomposition due to the better surface wetting of PET particles occurring with the solutions of these catalysts during the hydrolysis of PET. This effect was explored by applying a shrinking core model to interpret the kinetics data of TPA yield for calculations of reaction rate constants. These constants were correlated to the partition coefficient and distribution coefficient values of catalysts for the octanol/water system to indirectly study the PET/water system in hydrolysis. This revealed the role of functional group in catalyst structure as a determining factor for the hydrophobicity of catalyst solution (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Maria R. Coleman (Committee Chair); G. Glenn Lipscomb (Committee Member); Defne Apul (Committee Member); Constance A. Schall (Committee Member); Dong-Shik Kim (Committee Member) Subjects: Chemical Engineering; Chemistry; Engineering; Environmental Engineering; Environmental Science; Experiments; Materials Science; Mathematics; Mechanical Engineering; Organic Chemistry; Packaging; Plastics; Polymer Chemistry; Polymers; Sustainability

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2022, EECS - Electrical Engineering

The development of flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) is enabling a new generation of highly functional implantable devices for a diverse set of applications including neural interfacing, drug delivery, pain management and cardiac monitoring. These devices leverage the mechanical flexibility and small form factor associated with FHE to produce devices that can conform to the irregular topographies associated with deployment. Next generation devices will require flexible materials for sensing elements as well as highly protective, mechanically compliant materials for device packaging. This dissertation explores the use of polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) for strain sensing and non-hermetic packaging. The first component of this dissertation involves the development of a flexible pulsation sensor (FPS) for real-time monitoring of blood pressure in vascular grafts using a piezoresistive PDMS composite for the strain sensing element. The composite is comprised of carbon-black and polydimethylsiloxane (CB-PDMS). It was determined that a carbon black concentration of 14 wt. % produced composite films with a gauge factor and Young's modulus suitable for the application. A fully integrated, wireless flexible pulsation sensor (FPS) was successfully developed and benchtop experiments showed that the CB-PDMS based FPS can precisely monitor pressure waveform in a vascular graft. The second component of this dissertation involves the development of an all-polymer, non-hermetic packaging technology for flexible implantable systems based on sequential stacks of PDMS and Parylene-C thin-film bilayers. The bilayer structure leverages the favorable attributes of the two materials while simultaneously compensating for their weaknesses. The multi-stack, bilayer architecture yields a non-hermetic package that is both highly protective of moisture intrusion and mechanically flexible. The stacked, bilayer structure capitalizes on the fact that failure-inducing defects in a single layer are l (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Christian Zorman (Committee Chair); Ming-Chun Huang (Committee Member); Gary Wnek (Committee Member); Kath Bogie (Committee Member) Subjects: Biomedical Engineering; Electrical Engineering

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2021, Welding Engineering

In the consumer packaging industry, sealing is a crucial step for creating an airtight product unit for both flexible and semi-rigid packaging. Currently, rigid hot tool sealing is the most widely adapted sealing technology. Rigid hot tool sealing has many benefits, including fast seal times, good tool durability, and process simplicity. However, creating a continuous seal with rigid hot tool sealing is extremely sensitive to tool surface quality, parallelism, variations in material thickness, and film thickness transitions. In flexible packaging, the number of films in the thickness direction may vary based on location, depending on package layup. When a rigid hot tool is used to seal over film thickness transitions, high seal pressures must be utilized to produce intimate tool contact with the thinner film region(s). Even with high forces, thickness transitions are common locations for seal leaks. Additionally, excessive squeeze-out due to high pressure may occur, which can degrade the seal's mechanical properties. In the first phase of this work, various compliant technologies were evaluated theoretically and or experimentally. Using a decision analysis approach, the various complaint sealing methods were scored and ranked. Conformable resistive sealing was chosen for further exploration. Conformable resistive sealing relies on a constant temperature, flexible heating element backed by a compliant elastomer. Various flexible heating elements were analyzed for enhanced conformability. A thin metal ribbon, and a thin perforated metal ribbon demonstrated the best potential for a conformable heating element. In addition, FEA modeling was conducted to model temperature variation in non-linear geometries of resistive heating elements. Conformance testing was conducted to compare the necessary seal pressures for sealing over a 4 film to 8 film thickness transition for rigid hot tool sealing (rigid tool/conformable anvil and rigid tool/rigid anvil combinations) an (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Avraham Benatar PhD (Advisor); Boyd Panton PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Engineering; Materials Science; Packaging; Plastics; Polymers

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Silicon Carbide (SiC) power devices become popular in electric/hybrid vehicles, energy storage power converters, high power industrial converters, locomotive traction drives and electric aircrafts. Compared with its silicon counterparts, SiC metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) feature higher blocking voltage, higher operating temperature, higher thermal conductivity, faster switching speed, and lower switching loss. This dissertation studies the medium voltage SiC power switch design, packaging, reliability testing and protection, aiming to achieve high power density low cost design with improved reliability. This work first investigates medium voltage SiC MOSFET short circuit capability and degradation under short circuit events. Lower short circuit energy is an effective approach to protect the medium voltage SiC MOSFET from catastrophic failure and slow down the device degradation under repeated over-current conditions. To ensure high efficiency operation under normal conditions and effective protection under short circuit condition, a three-step short circuit protection method is proposed. With ultra-fast detection, the protection scheme can quickly respond to the short circuit events and actively lower the device gate voltage to enhance its short circuit capability. Eventually, the conventional desaturation protection circuits confirm the faulty condition and softly turns off the device. Based on the 3300 V SiC MOSFET characteristic and circuit parameters, the protection circuit design guideline is provided. The exploration on the medium voltage SiC MOSFET packaging follows. To further increase the power density, the medium voltage SiC device packaging becomes a multi-disciplinary subject involving electrical, thermal, and mechanical design. Multi-functional package components are desired to deal with more than one concerns in the application. The relationship between electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties needs to be understo (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jin Wang (Advisor); Longya Xu (Committee Member); Anant Agarwal (Committee Member); Selamet Ahmet (Committee Member) Subjects: Engineering

PHD, Kent State University, 2020, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies

Although the study of reception has not been ignored in the field of Translation Studies, the role of lay readers largely has been. Some of the reasons for this are practical; before the advent of the Internet, reader reaction could be gauged mostly through statistical analysis of books sales or library records. The Internet has made possible the collection of actual reviews by readers, which makes more nuanced, qualitative analysis of reader response feasible. The research possibilities represented by online reader reviews, however, have yet to be exploited in a systematic way. Hence, this research argues that it is time for the full integration of end-readers into reception studies of translated literature. This research aims to explore images and representations of the Arabs and their cultures transmitted to the West through translated Arabic literature. Previous studies have adopted positivist approaches, investigating how accurately the Arabs and their cultures were represented in the translations as well as what images are inserted in them. This research, informed by post-positivist approaches, explores not how the source culture and its images have been depicted and represented in translations, but how lay readers interpreted and constructed those images and representations after reading. To carry out the investigation, four case studies were selected for this corpus-based, corpus-driven study. The responses of readers in the form of online book reviews of original Arabic works and their translations were compiled for analysis using corpus tools. The analysis explored how each of these works was packaged and received in the source and target cultures.

Committee: Brian Baer (Advisor); Judy Wakabayashi (Committee Member); Kelly Washbourne (Committee Member); M'Baye Babacar (Committee Member); Andrew Barnes (Committee Member) Subjects: Foreign Language; Linguistics; Literature; Middle Eastern Literature; Modern Language; Modern Literature; Sociology

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2020, Engineering

Poly (ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PEF), a bio-based polymer, has great potential as an alternative to poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) due to its superior barrier and thermal properties, especially for packaging applications. The overall goal of this research was to improve PEF synthesis to generate a high molecular weight polymer with reduced color for packaging application. Therefore, the effect of reaction time, reaction temperature and catalyst on reaction kinetics was evaluated and the synthesis method was improved to obtain the desired properties. In the first part of this work, the focus was on evaluation and improvement of the direct esterification step of PEF synthesis from 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) with ethylene glycol (EG). Most of the published literature on PEF follows conventional polyester synthesis performed at high temperatures. Here, we demonstrated that FDCA has much higher solubility in EG at lower process temperatures which makes it possible to perform direct esterification step of PEF synthesis at lower temperature range than previous reports. In addition, this enhancement in solubility resulted in improved kinetics which was tracked by a modified nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy method. The results suggested that lower temperatures are advantageous for efficient direct esterification of FDCA with EG resulting in reduction of color of the esterification product. The product of esterification reaction is typically a very low molecular weight prepolymer (oligomer) that must further be polymerized to achieve the desired high molecular weight for packaging application. Polycondensation is the second step to achieve high molecular weight; however, reaction conditions such as high vacuum and high temperature in this step require large energy consumption. In addition, these conditions can cause undesired side reactions that have a negative effect on the polymer properties including color generation. The color gener (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Joseph Lawrence (Committee Chair); Maria Coleman (Committee Co-Chair); Damian Salazar (Committee Member); Ana Alba-Rubio (Committee Member); Yong-Wah Kim (Committee Member) Subjects: Chemical Engineering; Polymers