Transparent Polyethylene Terephthalate Research Articles

Smart next-gen drying solution: A study of design, development and performance evaluation of IoT-enabled IR-assisted refractance window dryer

Refractance window drying is a technique that has great potential to dry commodities, with better quality at an affordable cost. However, there is still a lack of awareness regarding its use and implementation in academic curricula as well as in industry. This study aims to design and develop a low-cost and effective Internet of Things (IoT) enabled Infrared (IR) assisted refractance window dryer. The effect of different flexible materials used as membranes with the same thickness was also investigated. Then, experiments were conducted on papaya pulp to study the performance of the developed dryer. The drying time (reduced moisture content up to 4%) was observed for the papaya pulp sample by employing Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), Polypropylene (PP), Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), White Polyethylene Terephthalate (W-PET) and Transparent polyethylene terephthalate (T-PET) material as a membrane were 300, 330, 360, 330, and 300 min respectively. After thoroughly testing membrane materials properties, it is concluded that the T-PET membrane has superior thermal, mechanical, and optical properties. After an exhaustive examination of the marketplace scrutiny, the payback period was found to be 0.55 years.

Broadband optically transparent microwave absorber made of interdigital metasurfaces in rotational symmetry with a single air spacer

A broadband optically transparent metasurface microwave absorber (MMA) is designed and experimentally studied. The MMA is made of two indium tin oxide (ITO) resistive films deposited on two transparent polyethylene terephthalate substrates respectively, between which is sandwiched a single air spacer. The top ITO resistive film is etched with periodic interdigital metasurface patterns in rotational symmetry, while the bottom ITO resistive film is an integrated sheet with a low resistance working as the backplane. By carefully optimizing the functional interdigital metasurface structures in a numerical solver, a desirable 4-octave broadband MMA is achieved. The absorbing bandwidth is 4.53–18.71 GHz (122.03%) in the numerical predictions for the perpendicular incidence, in which the absorptivity is greater than 90%. Its total thickness is only 5.8 mm or 0.088λ L, where λ L is the wavelength (66.23 mm) at the lowest 4.53 GHz. The absorber is validated in experiments. Results are observed in good agreement with the simulated ones. The interdigital MMA is polarization-insensitive and able to operate for wide-angle incidences up to 45°. These properties are demonstrated in both simulations and experiments.

Construction and conversion of 2D and 3D patterns on the surface of transparent polyethylene terephthalate induced by near-infrared laser

The patterning of transparent PET film plays an indispensable role in the application of packaging materials. However, traditional processes such as ink printing limit the pattern to a 2D plane. Recently, laser irradiation technology has been demonstrated as a potential strategy for achieving surface patterning of polymer materials. Here, we found that metallic oxide substrate can absorb laser energy and transfer it to transparent PET film through the interface, thereby improving the absorption of laser by PET. The preparation process of metallic oxide substrate is low-cost, scalable, and easy to prepare. Irradiation experiments were conducted at different energy densities, and the results show that the laser-induced patterns on the surface of PET film can be arbitrarily transformed between 2D and 3D. The PET film absorbs a large amount of heat through the interface with the substrate, which is the main factor regulating the pattern morphology. In addition, the controllability of photothermal conversion between interfaces enables laser-induced patterns to be designed locally and arbitrarily, thus achieving practical applications. The present method may open a new avenue for the application of laser patterning and meet the extensive requirements of transparent polymer materials in the fields related to surface 2D/3D pattern design.

Highly reliable and stretchable OLEDs based on facile patterning method: toward stretchable organic optoelectronic devices

Stretchable displays attract significant attention because of their potential applications in wearable electronics, smart textiles, and human-conformable devices. This paper introduces an electrically stable, mechanically ultra-robust, and water-resistant stretchable OLED display (SOLED) mounted on a stress-relief pillar platform. The SOLED is fabricated on a thin, transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film using conventional vacuum evaporation, organic-inorganic hybrid thin film encapsulation (TFE), and a nonselective laser patterning process. This simple and efficient process yields an OLED display with exceptional stretchability, reaching up to 95% strain and outstanding durability, enduring 100,000 stretch-release cycles at 50% strain. Operational lifetime and water-resistant storage lifetime measurements confirm that the TFE provides effective protection even after the nonselective laser patterning process. A 3 × 3 array SOLED display module mounted on a stress-relief pillar platform is successfully implemented, marking the first case of water-resistant display array operation in the field of SOLEDs. This work aims to develop practical stretchable displays by offering a reliable fabrication method and device design for creating mechanically robust and adaptable displays, potentially paving the way for future advances in human-conformable electronics and other innovative applications.

A broadband transparent antenna applied in indoor mobile communication system

AbstractThis paper proposes a broadband optical transparent antenna using a transparent conductor film on a transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. The planar wide‐slot antenna coupling fed by microstrip has a wide impedance bandwidth, so it is selected to design the transparent antenna. The upper surface of the PET substrate is a microstrip line with a fork‐shaped tuning branch, and the lower surface is a wide slot. They were made of transparent conductor film. Finally, a new capacitive coupling method is used to feed the transparent antenna. The transparent conductor film used in the antenna is metal mesh, which was developed by 3M company. The metal mesh with an open area greater than 80% to achieve high transmittance. The measured results show that the impedance bandwidth is 177% (0.30–5.0 GHz), and the gain of the antenna varies from 5.06 to 7.8 dBi over the entire frequency band. Therefore, it can be well applied to the current indoor mobile communication system.

Origami nanogap electrodes for reversible nanoparticle trapping.

We present a facile desktop fabrication method for origami-based nanogap indium tin oxide (ITO) electrokinetic particle traps, providing a simplified approach compared to traditional lithographic techniques and effective trapping of nanoparticles. Our approach involves bending ITO thin films on optically transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET), creating an array of parallel nanogaps. By strategically introducing weak points through cut-sharp edges, we successfully controlled the spread of nanocracks. A single crack spanning the constriction width and splitting the conductive layers forms a nanogap that can effectively trap small nanoparticles after applying an alternating electric potential across the nanogap. We analyze the conditions for reversible trapping and optimal performance of the nanogap ITO electrodes with optical microscopy and electrokinetic impedance spectroscopy. Our findings highlight the potential of this facile fabrication method for the use of ITO at active electro-actuated traps in microfluidic systems.

Alpha-ray imaging with alkali copper halide scintillator

Internal exposure for decommissioning workers at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant must be prevented, and we have developed a monitoring system for alpha-ray emitting dust (alpha dust). When the dust size is less than several tens of micrometers, a dust protection maskdoes not work effectively to prevent internal exposure. Since no devices have been operated to observe alpha-dust images in real-time up to now, we have developed an alpha-ray imaging detector consisting of a scintillation material and imaging detector. Scintillators are required to have high light output and chemical stability. Cs3Cu2I5 (CCI) scintillator was found to be one of the candidates, and an imaging test was operated with this material. The CCI crystal was grown by the Bridgman-Stockberger method, and a scintillation sheet for alpha-ray imaging was prepared by CCI microcrystals with a thickness of approximately 70 μm on a 200-μm thickness transparent polyethylene terephthalate film as a first imaging test. The sheet was irradiated with 5.5-MeV alpha rays from an 241Am source, and scintillation photons were detected with a CMOS camera through an optical lens. We succeeded in visualizing alpha rays, and a position resolution of our system achieved approximately 16.2 ± 2.6 μm (10–90 %). This resolution was similar value to other imaging devices with Ag:ZnS powder scintillator, and a CCI single crystal sheet was expected to reach better resolution.

Superior ammonia sensing properties of PET‐supported polyaniline/reduced graphene oxide/zinc ferrite ternary nanocomposite thin film at room temperature

AbstractThis article introduces a ternary nanocomposite‐based flexible thin film ammonia sensor developed on transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate in the well‐known in situ chemical oxidative polymerization technique. The nanocomposite consists of three different materials: polyaniline (PANI), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and zinc ferrite (ZF). Keeping the PANI amount constant, seven PANI/rGO/ZF (PRZ) samples are produced by performing stoichiometric variation between rGO and ZF. Later on, various structural, morphological, and spectroscopic analysis of all the composite materials is accomplished with field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis). The sensing performance of the as‐produced sensors toward ammonia (NH3) is examined in the concentration range from 250 ppb to 100 ppm. The study reveals the excellent sensing ability of the PRZ3 sensor (rGO = 30%, ZF = 20%) achieving minimum and maximum responsivity values of ~51% and ~1052%, respectively, at the lowest (250 ppb) and highest (100 ppm) concentration of ammonia. The sensor also exhibits admirable repeatability, good dynamic responsivity, rapid response (tres ~2.9–5 s), moderately faster recovery (trec ~37.9–69.7 s), superb linearity against ppm variation (R2 ~ 0.989), low detection limit (~123 ppb), and exceptional selectivity toward ammonia. The substrate temperature variation divulges that room temperature (30°C) is the ideal temperature for getting outstanding responsivity of the sensor. The study is further accompanied by humidity variation in the incoming air and bending flexibility test of the substrate. A compulsory and legitimate model regarding the sensing mechanism is presented at the end.

Simple-grown SnO2 microflowers/carbon cloth as rigid and flexible ultraviolet photodetectors

Flowers-like SnO2 grown on carbon cloth (SnO2/CC) was synthesized via simple hydrothermal process. The flowers-like structure includes needle-like and columnar-like forms. The optical analysis of the SnO2/CC show strong absorption in near ultraviolet region. SnO2/CC based rigid photodetector was designed on Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) substrate. By simply transferring the SnO2/CC to a transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate, flexible photodetector was also successfully manufactured. Both the rigid and flexible devices exhibited excellent photoconductive characteristic to ultraviolet light at 254 nm and 365 nm. Especially, the flexible photodetector exhibits higher switch ratio of 26.14 to as weak ultraviolet light signal as 600 μW/cm2 at wavelength of 254 nm.

Development of a Lux Meter for the Identification of Liquids in Post-Consumer Polyethylene Terephthalate Bottles for Collection Centers in Mexico

This article aims to enhance technological advancements in the classification of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle plastic, positively impacting sustainable development and providing effective solutions for collection centers (CC) in Mexico. Three experimental designs and machine learning tools for data processing were developed. The experiments considered three factors: bottle size, liquid volume, and bottle labels. The first experiment focused on determining the sensor distance from post-consumer PET bottles. The second experiment aimed to evaluate the sensor’s detection ability with varying liquid levels, while the third experiment assessed its detection capability for bottle labels. A digital lux meter integrated with a microcontroller was developed to monitor illuminance in post-consumer PET bottles containing liquid as they moved through a conveyor belt at an average rate of three bottles per second. The implemented methodology successfully detected liquids inside transparent PET bottles when they contained beverages ranging from 25% to 100% of their capacity. This study highlights the feasibility of implementing an affordable design for identifying bottles with liquids at CC.

Dual-responsive photonic multilayers in combination with a smartphone application as high-security anti-counterfeiting devices

A new concept for dual-responsive one-dimensional (1D) photonic crystal (PC) multilayers is proposed herein. The novel PC-based systems rely on the humidity from the human breath and fluorescence triggered by Al3+ coordination to act as high-security anti-counterfeiting labels to be used in combination with a smartphone application. The dual-responsive patterned film is fabricated via the alternating deposition of photo-crosslinkable poly(2-vinylnaphthalene-co-benzophenone acrylate) and 51%-quaternized poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-benzophenone acrylate) onto a transparent polyethylene terephthalate substrate to obtain 1D PC multilayers, followed by the introduction of a poly([(2-hydroxybenzylidene)-4-vinylbenzohydrazide-co-benzophenonyl acrylate) top coating. The obtained system is then exposed to ultraviolet light irradiation through variously patterned masks. The patterned films exhibit vivid dual color transitions in high-humidity environments along with remarkable turn-on fluorescence, following the coordination of Al3+ ions upon spraying with a 1 wt% Al(NO3)3 solution. Notably, the efficacy of the combination between the two-step security function of the flexible patterned multilayer films and a smartphone app was also demonstrated. The first level of security involves the determination of the RGB color value before and after a color change triggered by blowing onto the film. The second level of security involves the revelation of hidden fluorescent shapes under ultraviolet light irradiation after Al(NO3)3 spraying.

Occurrence Characteristics of Microplastics and Metal Elements in the Surface Water of Huangpu River and Their Associations with Metal Resistance Genes

Urban rivers have been regarded as the "hotspots" for microplastic (MPs) and metal contamination as they play important roles in pollution migration. However, as important sinks and sources of resistance genes, there has been little to no research investigating the associations between MPs, metal contaminations, and metal resistance genes (MRGs). Ten water samples were collected from the Huangpu River in situ; along with metal elements, MPs characteristics analyzed. Metal resistance genes and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in waters and MPs were detected using metagenomic technology. As a result, the highest metal concentration was that of Sb in surface water (3.16±0.419) μg·L-1. The average abundance of MPs was (1.78±0.84) n·L-1, and the peak levels located in industrial and densely populated areas, which was significantly higher than those in agricultural and low population density areas. Fibrous, small-size (<0.5 mm), and transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were the largest contributors of MPs. Eighteen MRGs were detected in all the samples. The relative abundance of MRGs in water was 1.68±0.21. The most dominant MRGs subtypes were merR and ruvB, which are subtypes resistant to mercury and Multi_metals. Correlation analysis showed that chromium and nickel in waters were significantly positively associated with MRG-Cr, MRG-Ni, and Multi_metals resistance genes. For MPs particles, the relative abundance of MRGs was 1.63±0.53. The most dominant MRGs subtypes were merT-P and copB, which also belong to mercury-resistant and Multi_metals. The Multi_metals resistance gene, ctpC, cueA, czrA, kmtR, etc., had significant positive associations with Ni, Cr, and Sb in waters. Compared with water samples, MPs selectively enriched merT-P, copB, ziaA, sodA, and dmeF. Additionally, the co-occurrence patterns of MRGs and MGEs were explored based on network analysis. In water samples, the transposases (tnpA_1 and tnpA_2), integrase (qacEdelta), and insertion sequence (IS91) were the major contributors of the horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of specific MRGs. Multiple subtypes resistant to copper and Multi_metals resistance genes on MPs were positively associated with IncFIC(FII), Rep7, rep7, and rep13, which were subtypes of plasmids. The presence of MPs exerted a significant impact on HGT of specific MRGs mediated by plasmids.

Evaluation of Steady-State and Time-Resolved Fluorescence Spectroscopy as a Method for Assessing the Impact of Photo-Oxidation on Refined Soybean Oils.

The type of material used in packaging, lighting, and storage time can impact food quality during storage. This study aimed to investigate the progress of photosensitized oxidation in refined soybean oil using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The experiment was conducted through accelerated photo-oxidation with Light-Emitting Diode (LED) in samples stored for ten days at room temperature (26.0 ± 2.0 °C) in clear polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging of different colors and different transmission spectra in the UV and visible range. Emission spectra were obtained with excitation at 373, 405, and 500 nm, resulting in two main emission peaks: the first with maximum emission between 430 and 555 nm and the second at around 660 nm. Fluorescence decay curves were obtained with excitation at 340 and 405 nm. The results indicated that transparent PET bottles are not effective in protecting soybean oil from photosensitized oxidation under the studied conditions. Strong correlations were observed between fluorescence parameters and peroxide and conjugated diene values, indicators of lipid oxidation progress. Fluorescence spectroscopy has several advantages over traditional methods as it is a simple, fast, low-cost, and low-waste technique.

Survey of Bacterial Carriage by Musca domestica in Calabar Metropolis and Implication on Public Health

This study was designed to isolate the bacteria carried by houseflies (Musa domestica), determine the most occurring bacteria associated with houseflies and assess the sanitary conditions of the different sampling locations in Calabar Metropolis. Samples were collected during September and October 2015. Perforated transparent plastic buckets and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles were used to collect houseflies from houses, food spots (restaurants) and drinking spots located in Bogobiri, Goldie and Hawkings in Calabar. The samples were subjected to standard bacteriological analysis to include cultures and biochemical identification. The results of the trap were 137 (51.1%) for the bucket trap and 131 (48.9%) for the Eva bottle trap. Bogobiri location had the highest number of houseflies 95 (35.4%) followed by Hawking 90 (33.6%) and lastly Goldie with 83 (30.9%). and yielded the following results: 13 (61.9%) of the sample had significant bacteria growth while 15 (71.4%) had insignificant bacteria growth. Among bacteria isolated, Coliforms bacteria 5 (23.8%), Salmonella spp. 5 (23.8%), S. aureus 4 (19%) and Bacillusspp. 2 (9.5%). Hawking had the highest number of bacteria isolated. The result of this survey has shown that the association of houseflies with street foods and drinks is a serious public health concern. Avoidance of houseflies in our foods and drinks and good refuse dump disposal should be promoted.

Morphology Control of Perpendicularly Oriented Lamellar Films from Azobenzene-Containing Block Copolymers with Different Spacer Lengths

Block copolymer (BCP) films with vertically aligned lamellar structures hold great application potential in multiple fields. Nevertheless, systematic control of the lamellar morphology in BCP films has rarely been reported so far, including connectivity, etch selectivity, and orientation. Here, we report an effective approach to construct perpendicularly oriented lamellar domains by incorporating the azobenzene groups into the side chains of polystyrene-block-polymethacrylate (PS-b-PMMA) with different flexible spacers (x), namely, PS-b-PMA(xC)Az (x = 0, 6, or 11). Two- and three-dimensional vertical lamellae, such as thick high-connectivity lamellae, thin defect-free lamellae, and mixture lamellae, can be fabricated by manipulating x. Simultaneously, the perpendicular lamellae with different morphologies can be obtained on various substrates, such as hard silicon wafers, flexible aluminum sheets, and transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films. Herein, a plausible mechanism is demonstrated. The present strategy might open an avenue to engineer the morphology of perpendicularly aligned lamellar films for applications that either require high-connectivity percolating transport or defect-free lithography templates.

A novel synthesis of light transmission from upcycled polyethylene terephthalate polymer and low-density polyethylene for greenhouse design in tropical climate

Abstract To support the circular economy in Thai’s agriculture, the main interviewed challenges point to knowledge and knowhow for greenhouse structure and system boosting up productivities. One popular material that possibly affected productivity is transparent polymer film, which can be recycled based on material property and blowing machine condition. This paper investigates the light transmittance performance of transparent polyethylene terephthalate polymer (PET) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) sheets for use in low-energy greenhouses in tropical climates. The aim of the study is to optimize the thermal performance and light transmittance of these materials to support plant growth and human comfort. The study focuses on seven stages of plant growth, each of which requires different light characteristics including 1) seed, 2) germinating, 3) young seedling, 4) older vine, 5) flowering, 6) fruit bearing and 7) harvesting and drying. Each stage requires different light characteristics, e.g. light intensity, red light, blue light, white light and ultraviolet (UV) and pulsed light (PL). The methodology involves selecting PET and LDPE materials, preparing samples for thermal property and lighting laboratory tests and analysing the results based on suitable criteria. The findings show that LDPE sheets have 28.78% lower light transmittance than PET sheets, making them suitable for supporting the seedling stage and older vines of plant growth. PET sheets, on the other hand, deliver a high intensity of red light, making them suitable for stimulating photosynthesis in older vines and during the harvesting process. The study highlights the importance of considering both thermal performance and light transmittance when selecting materials for low-energy greenhouses in tropical climates.

Vertical and seasonal variations in biofilm formation on plastic substrates in coastal waters of the Black Sea

Plastic contamination of the marine environment is an increasing concern worldwide. Therefore, it is important to understand the kinetics of biofilms on plastics to study their behavior, fate, and transport pathways in the ocean. In this study, the vertical and seasonal variations in biofouling formation on transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic fragments in the Southwest Crimea coastal waters of the Black Sea were investigated. Biofilms were identified in the transient light as ‘dark spots’ on the plastic surface, for which the numbers, size, and area were measured using specialized software. The rate of biofouling in the surface water layer was lower than those found in the middle and near-bottom water column, which could be due to a damaging effect of turbulent mixing on the biofilm. The highest rates of biofouling and diverse community were observed during the summer. The epibiotic assembly was represented by diatoms (11 taxa), dinoflagellates (3 taxa), green algae, filamentous cyanobacteria, small flagellates, and ciliates. Significant differences between the biofouling rates observed in different seasons made it difficult to estimate the period of time the plastic substrate has been in the marine environment. It was proposed to use the green alga Phycopeltis arundinacea (Montgn) De Tender et al., 2015 as a bioindicator to study the age of the biofouling community. Discoid thalli were identified at all stages of colonization of the plastic fragments in different seasons. Results obtained in this study demonstrate that biofouling organisms may be good model organisms in revealing age of biofilm formation and longevity of plastic debris in the ocean. Consequently, it is proposed that such biofouling organisms could be used as target species to monitor the biodegradation of plastic debris.

Flexible Ink-Minimized Screen-Printed Frequency Selective Surfaces With Increased Optical Transparency for 5G Electromagnetic Interference Mitigation

A thin, flexible and transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) based screen-printed band-stop Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) with ink minimization is experimentally demonstrated at 28 GHz using both planar and conformal configurations. A miniaturized conventional FSS unit cell is ink-minimized using surface meshing without compromising the angular stability of the transmission response of the surface within ±60°. This not only leads to reduced amount of expensive ink required in prototyping, thereby lowering the overall manufacturing cost, but also increases the optical transparency of the structure by a factor of 65% using an 80 μm line-width tolerance. Finally, the operation of the ink-minimized FSS is experimentally shown using a conformal geometry with two radii of curvature (60 mm and 114 mm) and a good filtering performance is confirmed. Useful for 5G electromagnetic interference (EMI) applications, these FSSs feature increased feasibility through improved transparency and reduced cost due to ink minimization.

Synthetic Data Generation for Visual Detection of Flattened PET Bottles

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle recycling is a highly automated task; however, manual quality control is required due to inefficiencies of the process. In this paper, we explore automation of the quality control sub-task, namely visual bottle detection, using convolutional neural network (CNN)-based methods and synthetic generation of labelled training data. We propose a synthetic generation pipeline tailored for transparent and crushed PET bottle detection; however, it can also be applied to undeformed bottles if the viewpoint is set from above. We conduct various experiments on CNNs to compare the quality of real and synthetic data, show that synthetic data can reduce the amount of real data required and experiment with the combination of both datasets in multiple ways to obtain the best performance.

Synthesis of Transparent ZnO–TiO2 and Its Nanocomposites for Ultraviolet Protection of a Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Film

The goal of this research was to investigate the effects of ZnO–TiO2 and its nanocomposites, on the physical, mechanical, and ultraviolet protection of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays is a major cause of the degradation of the quality and optical properties of materials in addition to skin cancer; therefore, research on UV-blocking materials that are safe and have fewer side effects than currently available products is being actively conducted. In this study, a material with UV-blocking capability was synthesized while ensuring the transparency of ZnO and TiO2. ZnO–TiO2 and its various composites were successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal method followed by ball milling and their properties were systematically analyzed by using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and water contact angle measurements. Furthermore, a simple dip-coating method was employed to prepare transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films coated with the composites, which were subsequently investigated for UV-blocking properties by exposing them to UV irradiation. The hydroxyl groups of ZnO and TiO2, as representative inorganic sunblock components, were removed by using 3-chloropropyl trimethoxy silane as a coupling agent to improve their wettability in an organic solvent as well as their dispersibility and stability. The addition of a small amount of Tinuvin® allowed the hybrid organic and inorganic components to exhibit transparent UV-blocking characteristics, with a UV transmittance of ≤20% and 90% visible transmittance. These results, thus, serve as a basis for contributing to applications in the field of packaging, health, and hygiene industries.