Polymers
Student Spotlight: Driving performance improvement for PLA in fibers and nonwovens
Hamid Ebrahimi recently graduated with a Ph.D. in Fiber and Polymer Science from North Carolina State University where he studied polylactic acid (PLA) structure-process-property relationships with other biodegradable polymers. His …
New SUPD guidance calls biopolymers ‘plastic’; yet PHA, PLA stakeholders remain optimistic for the long term
The European Commission’s Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) has been hotly debated since its initial publication in July 2019. While the aim of the legislation is a noble one – minimizing …
Calcium carbonate enables sustainability in polymer fiber applications
Calcium carbonate, which is ubiquitous in nature, can be found everywhere in daily life. It is used widely as a coating agent for paper or cardboards and for paints; as …
Student Spotlight: Multifunctional temperature-responsive textiles
The Soft Functional Materials Lab @ VCU is motivated to apply fundamental science to solving challenging and practical problems. The lab focuses on the processing and characterization of soft functional …
Bicomponent fiber – get more than 2x
A biocomponent fiber, or bico, is a fiber that combines two separate polymers into a single filament. The term conjugate fiber is also used as a synonym. The process …