
Email: [email protected]
Status: 2nd Year Graduate Student
Undergraduate Institution: The University of Oklahoma
PhD Thesis: Multi-layer films used in food packaging are quite complex and have many layers to protect the item inside from the outside environment. Polyethylene and Ethylene vinyl alcohol serve as moisture and oxygen barriers, respectively, while Polyethylene also provides desirable mechanical properties for the packaging. Tie layers, often made from Polyurethane, bind layers to one another. The complexity of multi-layer films leads to many challenges in the recycling these materials. Our goal is to simplify the structure of multi-layer films with the use of non-alternating Polyketones. My research seeks to understand the structure-property relationships of these materials and to design multi-layer films from these Polyketones that lead to the transport and mechanical properties desired in the packaging industry.