Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

1. The meeting began at 12:00pm with a telephone call to the project's Administrative Advisor Dr. Robert Shulstad.

Dr. Shulstad commented that federal spending on infrastructure will be continuously increased. Two AES bills are in the ballots, which would potentially spin out more Ag appropriation committee including $25M AFRI funding and $200M new national foundation that focuses on production, reproduction, and processing, in particular hemp research around medical and industrial applications for scientific areas of interest. Dr. Shulstad expressed optimism on farming bills that encourages research around consumer sciences and family studies.

Dr. Shulstad indicated that he will retire from his current university position on July 1st, 2017 and suggested that the S-1054 group should search for potential administrative advisor to replace Dr. Shulstad next year. We were reminded that an annual report is due in 60 days from today's meeting.

2. After the telephone call with Dr. Shulstad, attending members took a lunch break at 12:45 – 1:15 pm. The meeting was called to order at 1:15 pm. Secretary Yan Vivian Li welcomed everyone and thanked Anil Netravali for taking care of room and lunch arrangement. All attending members discussed the timing of annual report. The Chair and Secretary for 2016 was discussed and Yan Vivian Li (Colorado State U.) and Chunhui Xiang (Iowa State U.) were voted in for the respectively positions. Individual reports will be submitted to Yan Vivian Li by Thanksgiving to allow time for revision and edit by the group for submission by December 12, 2016.

3. Research station report: Station reports from committee members started at 1:45 pm and ended at 3:30 pm with brief Q&A and discussions at the end of each. Please see the consolidated annual report.

4. Further discussions also included collaboration, capability and institution facility and funding for research. Location for 2017 meeting was discussed. UGA was suggested favorably for meeting team's Administrative Advisor Dr. Robert Shulstad and teaming again with 2017 Fall Fiber Society meeting, respectively.

Respectfully submitted,
Yan Vivian Li (Secretary)

Objective 1 To develop novel biobased polymeric materials
CA: At the University of California, Davis, scientists have developed new method and applied additional process to derive highly crystalline nanocellulose from under-utilized agricultural by-products, i.e., rice straw as well as studied the self-assembling ability of nanocelluloses. One dimensional mesoporous acid catalysts have been synthesized from lignin based activated carbon fibers (ACFs) via sulfonation and hydrothermal treatment to contain 0.56 mmol/g sulfonic and 0.88 mmol/g total acid for direct hydrolysis of highly crystalline rice straw cellulose. These ACF acid catalyst could directly hydrolyze rice straw cellulose to yield exclusively glucose and cellulose nanofibrils (2.1 nm thick, 3.1 nm wide, up to 1 μm long) while could be easily separated for repetitive hydrolysis of additional cellulose. Complete valorization of rice straw cellulose has been demonstrated by direct hydrolysis with these 1D acid catalysts to superior glucose selectivity while generating high value cellulose nanofibrils.

Aqueous counter collision (ACC), a method employing low energy input (15 kWh/kg) shear force, could completely defibrillate rice straw cellulose into cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs). The CNF yields were more than double of those from wood pulp by other mechanical means, but at a lower energy input. The smallest (3.7 nm thick, 5.5 nm wide) CNFs were significantly smaller, only a third or less, than those ACC processed from wood pulp, bamboo and microbial cellulose pellicle. The less than 20 nm thick CNFs could self-assemble into continuous sub-micron (136 nm) wide fibers or semi-transparent films with superior mechanical properties (164 MPa tensile strength, 4 GPa Young’s modulus, 16% strain at break). ACC defibrillated CNFs retained the same chemical and crystalline structures and thermal stability as the original rice straw cellulose and are far superior than TEMPO oxidized CNFs and sulfuric acid hydrolyzed cellulose nanocrystals from the same rice straw cellulose.

Self-assembling of CNFs as affected by varying extent of protonation on C6 surface carboxyls were investigated using TEMPO oxidized and mechanically blended CNFs with identical geometries and level of oxidation. CNFs with surface carboxyls protonated at 10.3-100% self-assembled into amphiphilic fibrous mass to porous and more thermally stable ultra-thin film like structure. Ultrafiltration and air-drying induced cyrstallIzation led to more thermally stable, semi-transparent and hydrophilic films that showed no affinity towards non-polar toluene. These results show CNF surfaces could be protonationed to varying degrees, along with drying processes, could create amphiphic fibrous to hydrophilic film morphologies, expanding manners to generate new structures.

CO: Colorado State University has recently initiated a biobased material project that focused on industrial hemp stalk for the potential application in medical textiles. It is known that hemp fibers have some superior physical and chemical properties including excellent mechanical strength, microbial resistance, and hand and softness. Although hemp fibers are commercially manufactured for textiles at large scale in many other areas of the world, the research paradigm around industrial hemp seeds, oils and fibers has been recently open in some of states in the US, such as the State of Colorado. In the preliminary work, hemp stalks were decorticated to produce bast fibers. The cleaned stalks were submerged in an aqueous-based decortication solution mixed with an iron-based catalyst. The solution was heated between 80 – 100 °C and added hydrogen peroxide to decorticate the plant biomass material and to separate cellulose fibers (0.5 – 5 inches) for potential fiber applications. Currently, the resulting fibers are being evaluated for microstructures, mechanical properties, and antimicrobial properties.

NE: The University of Nebraska-Lincoln continued its development of biofibers from agricultural by-products, co-products and wastes for use in textiles, composites and medical applications. One focus was on the development of natural cellulosic fibers from cotton stalk with high aspect ratio, which is crucial to the high quality applications of these fibers in textiles and composite reinforcement. Another focus was on the continued improvement of polylactide properties from the molecular level via the study of PLLA-PDLA interlocked structure for the better applications of PLA in textiles, and on keratin manipulations for various applications. Some of the outcomes and milestones are significant. It has been demonstrated that cotton stalk fibers, blended with cotton, could make fabrics with good mechanical and dyeing properties. A green process was also invented for hair perming and straightening using environmentally responsible and non-toxic chemical systems.

NY: Cornell University has continued to develop biodegradable ‘green’ resins and composites. One focus was on self-healing proteins for medical textile applications. In the present research self-healing soy protein isolate (SPI) based ‘green’ thermoset resin was developed using SPI (healant) encapsulated poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide)(PLGA) microcapsules (SPI-PLGA-MCs). SPI resin was crosslinked to improve its mechanical properties. A water-in-oil-in-water emulsification technique was used to fabricate SPI-PLGA-MCs. Effects of microencapsulation formulation and processing parameters such as PLGA and poly(vinyl alcohol) concentrations (1 or 5%) and homogenization speed (1,000 or 10,000 rpm) were investigated on size, size distribution, protein loading, encapsulation efficiency, morphology of the microcapsules as well as their self-healing efficiency. SPI-PLGA-MCs produced using homogenization speed of 10,000 rpm had an average diameter of 0.76 μm and contained smaller size of subcapsules within themselves. Whereas, microcapsules produced using homogenization speed of 1,000 rpm were larger with an average diameter of 9.1 μm and contained diverse size of subcapsules inside. The PVA concentration did not show any significant effect on the SPI-PLGA-MCs size. However, at higher PVA concentration (5% of SPI-PLGA wt) aggregation of microcapsules resulted because of the excess PVA residing on the microcapsule surface. Higher PVA also resulted in better bonding of SPI-PLGA-MCs with the SPI resin, resulting in higher self-healing efficiency. The self-healing efficiency for various formulations studied varied between 29% and 53%. The SPI-PLGA-MCs prepared using 1% PLGA, 5% PVA and homogenization speed of 10,000 rpm resulted in the highest self-healing efficiency of 53%.

In addition, self-healing soy protein-microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) green composites were developed. The SPI-PLGA-MCs were prepared using a green solvent, ethyl acetate, which showed protein loading of over 50%. Self-healing SPI composites with uniformly dispersed MFC (10wt%) and SPI-PLGA-MCs (15wt%) had Young’s modulus of close to 1 GPa and strength of 15.2 MPa whereas SPI composites with only 10wt% of MFC had Young’s modulus of 1.4 GPa and strength of 24.5 MPa. The significantly higher tensile properties compared to pure SPI resin was due to the inherent high tensile properties of MFC and excellent hydrogen bonding with SPI resin. Self-healing mechanism, i.e., bridging of fracture surfaces of the microcracks by the healing agent (SPI), was observed through SEM imaging. Composites with no SPI-PLGA-MCs showed no self-healing whereas self-healing SPI composites showed 27% healing efficiency after 24 h of healing.

In another study at Cornell University, toughened SPI resins were developed using natural rubber (NR) and epoxidized natural rubber (ENR). Resin compositions containing up to 30wt% NR or ENR were prepared and characterized for their physical, chemical and mechanical properties. Cross-linking between SPI and ENR was confirmed using 1H-NMR and ATR-FTIR. All SPI/NR resins exhibited two distinctive drops in their modulus at glass transition temperature (Tg) and degradation temperature (Td) at around -50 and 215°C, corresponding to major segmental motions of NR and SPI, respectively. SPI/ENR resins showed similar Tg and Td transitions at slightly higher temperatures. For SPI/ENR specimens the increase in ENR content from 0 to 30wt% showed major increase in Tg from -23 to 13°C as a result of cross-linking between SPI and ENR. The increase in ENR content from 0 to 30wt% increased the fracture toughness by about 800% with minimum loss of tensile properties. The results indicated that ENR was not only more effective in toughening SPI than NR but the tensile properties of SPI/ENR were also significantly higher than the corresponding compositions of SPI/NR.

Cornell University also focused on developing green composites based on non-edible starch-based resin and micro-fibrillated cellulose (MFC). Starch was extracted from mango seeds, a waste source freely available in tropical regions. Micro fibrillated cellulose (MFC) was used to reinforce mango seed starch-based resin in order to take advantage of the chemical similarity between the starch and the cellulose which results in good interfacial bonding. Uniform dispersion of MFC in starch was obtained using homogenizer. Further, this MFC/MSS mixture was crosslinked using an environment friendly crosslinker, 1,2,3,4-butane tetracarboxylic acid (BTCA). Crosslinking was confirmed directly using ATR-FTIR spectra. MFC/MSS green composites were prepared by solution casting method. Tensile and thermal properties of these green composites were comparable to the edible starch-based composites.

GA: The University of Georgia has investigated the preparation of a core- sheath arrangement where Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) forms the core yarn and Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) nanofibers forms the sheath, which is prepared using electrospinning. The PHB polymers extracted from cyanobacterial species were used in the electrospinning for nano fiber production. The resultant core sheath nanospun yarn was characterized for its morphology, thermal properties, biocompatibility and cytotoxicity to support its use in the biomedical textile applications. The results showed that the incorporation of microalgal Polyhydroxybutyrate in the form of nano- fibrous sheath increased the biocompatibility of the core Polylactic acid yarn due to the improved cell adhesion properties of the yarn. A core sheath yarn arrangement is defined as a structure made of a separable core constrained to be at the central axis permanently and surrounded by fibers, which act as the sheath. The core yarn serves as a base collector/template for the sheath fibers that cover and coat it uniformly to produce a uniaxial yarn which exhibits high surface area and attractive performance properties. This arrangement shows improved transportation properties (thermal, moisture, liquid, air) compared to the core yarn and has several vital applications in the field of smart and industrial textiles, filtration, tissue engineering and biomedical devices. Despite the stated advantages, very limited literature is available on the continuous production of integrated electrospun core-sheath nanoyarn production.

In another study at the University of Georgia, nanocellulose (NC) hydrogel textile dyeing and finishing technology has been developed and tested at the laboratory scale. We have studied the mechanisms of the functionalization of textiles using NC fibers as a functional coating material. The mechanisms involve incorporation of functional molecules/particles in individual and networked NC fibrils, followed by the subsequent anchoring of the NC network to the textile surfaces via hydrogen/covalent bonds, crosslinking, and physical entrapment/entanglement. Expand range of functional additives to NC textile will be finishes by December 2017. The goal is to develop pilot manufacturing line in UGA for nanocellulose hydrogel by December 2017.

IA: Iowa State University has developed biodegradable nanofibers from fermented tea and biobased materials for textiles and composites. To reduce the environmental impact of textile and apparel production, new composites have been developed by using renewable cellulose fiber and biopolymer obtained from agricultural products such as corn or soy. The scientists have worked on development of bacterial cellulose nanocomposites from with enhanced mechanical strength by incorporating electrspun poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanofibers. The resulted bacterial cellulose with PLA nanocomposites showed lower water absorptionNew products developed from the composites have good tensile strength and relatively low moisture regain which are the key parameters for regular daily wear.

TX: The University of Texas at Austin has developed activated carbon fiber (ACF) from sawdust wood biomass and investigated the fabrication and application of the ACF. Sawdust wood biomass was first liquefied with phenol and phosphoric acid and synthesized by hexamethylenetetramine. Then a melt-spinning method was used to convert the liquefied wood compound into cellulose fiber. ACF was produced by carbonizing and activating the resulted cellulose fiber with different processing conditions. A supercapacitor was produced with two electrodes made of ACF, two current collectors (carbon paper) and one separate layer (glass fiber). Cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/discharge (GC) and electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) testing were applied to evaluate the electrochemical properties of the cellulose-precursor ACFs. It was found that the ACF processing conditions (carbonization temperature and activation methods) are key factors to determine ACF micropore size and distribution. It was revealed that with a specifically controlled condition specific capacitance could reach as high as 225 F g-1 at a current density of 0.5 A g-1. With 10,000 charge-discharge cycles at 3 A g-1 the supercapacitor could keep 94.2% capacity, showing outstanding electrochemical performance.

Research progress was also made in cellulose-based biocompatible nanofiber for tissue scaffold application. A major objective of this study was to use cellulose nanofiber scaffolds as a medium for drug delivery of different drugs such as antibiotics, anticancer medication, or other model drugs. The cellulose micro-nano fiber (CMNF) matrices were prepared by electrospinning and then a model drug was applied and integrated into the CMNF web. Drug release data was gathered using UV photospectrometry and FT-IR spectroscopy. The surface properties of the fibers were also studied. Tests were run on the wettability and contact angle of the fiber matrices in order to provide more insight on how the material interacts with drug-loaded water solution. The results showed that the cellulose fibers were able to encapsulate and release the drug with repeatable results. The drug release profiles from the CMNF matrices indicated that the drug release rate could be determined by a Fickian diffusion model.

MS: Mississippi State University investigated biological cellulosic materials that were developed from sweet potatoes. The biological cellulosic materials were “leather-like” and testable. Specially, the scientists have been able to reduce the maturation time to 7-10 days from 14-18 days. The leather-like materials are being evaluated for their physical and chemical properties.

Objective 2: to develop and evaluate biobased fibrous products for eco-friendly crop protection.

TN: Through a major USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) grant received by (Project Director) Hayes, Wadsworth, Belasco, and collaborators at the University of Tennessee, Washington State University, and Montana State University, the long-term implications of deploying on soil quality, the soil microbial community, specialty crop production, pests and diseases, and consumers will be investigated via a transdisciplinary approach (http://biodebradablemulch.org). The group has investigated the effect of field weathering and simulated weathering of commercially available and experimentally derived biodegradable plastic mulch films, and are currently completing the physicochemical analysis of the mulches. The work further focused on analyzing data (and collecting additional data) for a soil burial study of nonwoven fully biobased mulches that provided the change of physicochemical parameters during the time course of biodegradation during a 40-week period. The milestones already reached include 1) completion of data analysis investigating the effect of weathering on physicochemical properties of biodegradable plastic mulches (in progress) by Fall, 2016, 2) determination of the biodegradability of biodegradable plastic mulches in ambient soil and industrial composting (standardized) conditions.by December, 2018 (in progress).

Objective 3: to develop and evaluate biobased products for health and safety applications.

CA: Research conducted at the University of California, Davis, has streamlined an aqueous brief and mild alkaline process to isolate cellulose-rich fraction from rice straw for the preparation alkaline cellulose nanofibrils (ACNFs) and hemicellulose and lignin (HL) at 36.5 and 18.1 % yields, respectively. Thin films constructed from HL and CNF films showed improved transparency, flexibility as well as insolubility in water. Such HL-nanocellulose films were also compared with those constructed with other rice straw cellulose nanocrytals (CNCs) via sulphuric acid hydroplysis and CNFs via either TEMPO oxidation (OCNFs) or Aqueous Counter Collision (ACCCNFs). CNC-HL film absorbed least moisture, transmitted least moisture vapour and exhibited the highest Young's modulus whereas HL-ACNF films had highest tensile strength and the strain at break. This work, for the first time, demonstrated that nanocelluloses in parallel to hemicelluloses/lignin were efficiently isolated and reconstructed into holistic biocomposite films from a single biomass, i.e., rice straw. The structure-properties relations were clearly elucidated to show that tensile strength and elongation to be most enhanced by ACNFs where tensile modulus as well as moisture transmission and content most improved by CNC, showing great feasibility of re-engineering agricultural residues into value-added barrier film materials.

Objective 4: to develop and evaluate methods to remove dyes and finishing chemicals from textile waste water

NE: The University of Nebraska-Lincolon had developed an environmentally responsible sizing/slashing agent from soy protein isolates and soymeal to substitute PVA, which is a major problem for high chemical oxygen demand (COD) in textile effluent and on the development solvent dyeing systems for cotton and wool to decrease and eliminate dyeing effluents, with a focus on reusing waste carpets as composites materials. It was demonstrated through lab-scale studies that soymeal could be used to substitute PVA for polyester and poly/cotton high speed weaving. If successful on large scale trials, a low cost a substitution of PVA could be possible and industrialized in the near future to substantially decrease COD from textile effluent.

Peer-reviewed Journal Papers
1. Dong, Z., Hou, X.L., Haigler, I., and Yang*, Y.Q. Preparation and properties of cotton stalk bark fibers and their cotton blended yarns and fabrics. Journal of Cleaner Production. 139. 267-276 (2016).
2. Xu, H.L., Yang, M.P., Hou, X.L., Li, W., Su, X.Z., Yang*, Y.Q. Industrial trial of high-quality all green sizes composed of soy-derived protein and glycerol. Journal of Cleaner Production. 135. 1-8(2016).
3. Zhao, Y., Xu, H.L., Mu, B.N., Xu, L. and Yang*, Y.Q. Biodegradable soy protein films with controllable water solubility and enhanced mechanical properties via graft polymerization. Polymer Degradation and Stability. 133. 75-84(2016).
4. Zhao, Y., Xu, H.L., Mu, B.N., Xu, L., Hogan, R., and Yang*, Y.Q. Functions of soymeal compositions in textile sizing. Industrial Crops and Products. 89. 455-464(2016).
5. Pan, G.W., Zhao, Y., Xu, H.L., Ma, B.M., and Yang*, Y.Q. Acoustical and Mechanical Properties of Thermoplastic Composites from Discarded Carpets. Composites Part B-Engineering. 99. 98-105(2016).
6. Song, K.L., Xu, H.L., Xie, K.L., and Yang*, Y.Q. Effects of chemical structures of polycarboxylic acids on molecular and performance manipulation of hair keratin. RSC Advances. 6(63). 58594-58603 (2016).
7. Ma*, B.M., Qiao, X., Hou, X.L., and Yang*, Y.Q., Pure keratin membrane and fibers from chicken feather. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 89, 614-621(2016).
8. Chen, L.Y., Duan, Q., Chen, J.G., Yang, Y.Q., and Wang*, B.J., Antioxidant-assisted coloration of wool with xanthophylls extracted from corn distillers’ dry grain. Coloration Technology. 132 (3), 208-216 (2016).
9. Liu, J., Wang, B.J., Xu, X.M., Chen, J.G., Chen, L.Y., and Yang*, Y.Q. Green Finishing of Cotton Fabrics Using Xylitol-Extended Citric Acid Cross-linking System on a Pilot Scale. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. 4(3), 1131-1138 (2016).

10. Pan, G.W., Zhao, Y., Xu, H.L., Hou, X.L., and Yang*, Y.Q. Compression Molded Composites from Discarded Nylon 6/Nylon 6,6 Carpets for Sustainable Industries. Journal of Cleaner Production. 117. 212-220 (2016).
11. Chen, L.Y., Wang, B.J., Chen, J.G., Ruan, X.H. and Yang*, Y.Q. Characterization of dimethyl sulfoxide-treated wool and enhancement of reactive wool dyeing in non-aqueous medium. Textile Research Journal. 86(5). 533-542 (2016).

12. Xu, S.X., Chen, J.G., Wang, B.J., and Yang*, Y.Q. An Environmentally Responsible Polyester Dyeing Technology Using Liquid Paraffin. Journal of Cleaner Production. 112. 987-994 (2016).
13. Huang, Y., Peng, L., Liu, Y., Zhao, G., Chen, Y.J., and Yu, G. Biobased nano porous active carbon fibers for high-performance supercapacitors. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2016. DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b02214.
14. Huang, Y., Liu, Y., Zhao, G., and Chen, J.Y. Sustainable activated carbon fiber from wood sawdust by reactivation for high-performance supercapacitors. Journal of Materials Science, 2017, 52, 478-488.
15. Chen, J.Y., Activated Carbon Fiber and Textiles (Chen, J.Y Editor), Elsevier Woodhead Publishing Ltd., Oxford, England, 2016.
16. Liu, Y. and Chen, J.Y. Enzyme immobilization on cellulose matrixes. Journal of Bioactive and Compatible Polymers. 2016, 31(6), 553-567. doi: 10.1177/0883911516637377.
17. Sathiskumar Dharmalingam , Douglas G. Hayes, Larry C. Wadsworth, and Rachel N. Dunlap, 2016, Analysis of the time course of degradation for fully biobased nonwoven agricultural mulches in compost-enriched soil, Textile Research Journal, 86 (13), 1343-1355.
18. D.G. Hayes and L.C. Wadsworth, 2016. Finding Out How Biodegradable Plastic Mulches Change Over Time, USDA-SCRI Project Fact Sheet Report No. PA-2016-01, posted at http://biodegradablemulch.org.
19. Kim, J. R. and Netravali, A. N., "Self-Healing Properties of Protein Resin with Soy Protein Isolate-Loaded Poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) Microcapsules", Advanced Functional Materials, 26, pp. 4786-4796, 2016. DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201600465
20. Kim J. R. and Netravali, A. N., Comparison of Thermoset Soy Protein Resin Toughening by Natural Rubber and Epoxidized Natural Rubber, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., In Press, 11-11-2016. DOI: 10.1002/app.44665
21. Kim J. R. and Netravali, A. N., The Effect of Microencapsulation Parameters on Soy Protein Isolate-loaded PLGA Microcapsule Characteristics and Self-Healing of Soy Protein Based ‘Green’ Resin, J. Mater. Sci., Accepted, 11-2016.

22. Jiang, F., T. Kondo, Y.-L. Hsieh, Rice straw cellulose nanofibrils via aqueous counter collision and differential centrifugation and their self-assembled structures, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 4: 1697-1706 (2016).
23. Jiang, F., Y.-L. Hsieh, Self-assembling of TEMPO oxidized cellulose nanofibrils as effected by protonation of surface carboxyls and drying methods, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 4:1041-1049 (2016).
24. Hu, S., J. Gu, F. Jiang, Y.-L Hsieh, Holistic rice straw hemicelluloses/lignin and nanocellulose composite films, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 4: 728-737 (2016).
25. Hu, S., F. Jiang, Y.-L Hsieh, 1D Lignin based solid acid catalysts for direct hydrolysis of crystalline cellulose, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 3:2566-2574 (2015).
26. Sergiy Minko, Suraj Sharma, Ian Hardin, Igor Luzinov, Sandy Wu Daubenmire, Andrey Zakharchenko, Raha Saremi, Yun Sang Kim, Less Textile dyeing using nanocellulosic fibers, Patent US 2016/0010275 A1.

Conference Presentations/Abstracts/Posters
27. Yunsang Kim, Lauren Tolbert, Eliza Lee, Corbin Feit, Raha Saremi, Ian Hardin, Paula Felix De Castro, Dmitry Shchukin, Suraj Sharma, Sergiy Minko, Nanocellulose Functional
Coatings on Fabric Surface. The Fiber Society 2016 Fall Meeting and Technical Conference, Cornell University, October 10-12, Ithaca, NY.
28. Yunsang Kim, Lauren McCoy, Eliza Lee, Raha Saremi, Hansol Lee, Corbin Feit, Igor A. Luzinov, Sudhagar Mani, Ian R. Hardin, Suraj Sharma, Sergiy Minko. “Nanocellulose hydrogels for sustainable textile dyeing”, International Symposium on Materials from Renewables, Fargo, ND, July 19-20, 2016.
29. Yunsang Kim, Lauren McCoy, Eliza Lee, Raha Saremi, Hansol Lee, Corbin Feit, Igor A. Luzinov, Sudhagar Mani, Ian R. Hardin, Suraj Sharma, Sergiy Minko. Invited talk: “Nanocellulose‐based dyeing: a more sustainable way to dye textiles”, American Apparel & Footwear Association Environmental Committee Meeting, Austin, TX, July 19, 2016.
30. Yunsang Kim, Lauren McCoy, Eliza Lee, Raha Saremi, Hansol Lee, Corbin Feit, Igor A. Luzinov, Sudhagar Mani, Ian R. Hardin, Suraj Sharma, Sergiy Minko. “Efficient, Sustainable, and Scalable Textile Dyeing Technology Using Nanocellulosic Fibers”, Textile innovation meeting in Walmart U.S. Manufacturing Summit, Bentonville, AR, June 28, 2016.

31. Yunsang Kim, Lauren McCoy, Eliza Lee, Raha Saremi, Hansol Lee, Corbin Feit, Igor A. Luzinov, Sudhagar Mani, Ian R. Hardin, Suraj Sharma, Sergiy Minko. "Efficient, sustainable, and scalable textile dyeing technology using nanocellulosic fibers”, 1st prize winner (€50,000) in Green & Sustainable Chemistry Challenge by Elsevier Foundation, Berlin, Germany, April 3-6, 2016.
32. Yunsang Kim, Lauren McCoy, Eliza Lee, Ian R. Hardin, Suraj Sharma, Sergiy Minko. “Nanocellulose for functional surface modification and coatings on textile fabrics”. The Fiber Society 2015 Fall Meeting, Raleigh, NC, October 28-30, 2015.
33. Yunsang Kim, Lauren McCoy, Corbin Feit, Alexey Gruzd, Eliza Lee, Paula F. De Castro Dmitry G. Shchukin, Ian R. Hardin, Suraj Sharma, Sergiy Minko. “Nanocellulose Hydrogels for Functional Coating Materials in Textile Applications”, Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) Industry Day, Athens, GA, October 20, 2016
34. Yunsang Kim, Lauren McCoy, Eliza Lee, Raha Saremi, Hansol Lee, Corbin Feit, Igor A. Luzinov, Sudhagar Mani, Ian R. Hardin, Suraj Sharma, Sergiy Minko. “Sustainable Textile Dyeing Based on Nanocellulose Hydrogels and Reactive Dyes”. Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) Industry Day, Athens, GA, October 20, 2016
35. Lauren Tolbert, Yunsang Kim, Eliza Lee, Mykhailo Savchak, Igor Luzinov, Ian R. Hardin, Suraj Sharma, Sergiy Minko. “Development, processing, and novel applications of sustainable nanocellulose gel”. 2015 TAPPI International Conference on Nanotechnology for Renewable Materials, Atlanta, GA, June 22-25, 201
36. Banerjee, A., and Sharma, S. Preparation and Characterization of Biodegradable Electrospun core-sheath yarn for Bio-medical purposes. American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) International Conference at Williamsburg, Virginia, April 2016.
37. Banerjee, A., and Sharma, S. Polyhydroxyalkanoate based Nano fibrous structures and their application in Biomedical field. Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) Industry Day, UGA, GA, October 2016.

38. Banerjee, A., and Sharma, S. Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) based Nano-yarn and its Applications in Bio-Textiles. South Eastern Graduate Consortium, Auburn University, Alabama, March 2016.
39. Netravali, A. N., Green Materials and Processes: From Sports Gear to Furniture and from Ballistic Applications to Hair Styling, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-B), Mumbai, INDIA, January 11, 2016.
40. Netravali, A. N., Green Materials and Processes: From Sports Gear to Furniture and from Ballistic Applications to Hair Styling, Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai, INDIA, January 11, 2016.
41. Netravali, A. N., Green Materials and Processes: From Sports Gear to Furniture and from Ballistic Applications to Hair Styling, NABARD (IIT-B), Mumbai, INDIA, January 12, 2016.
42. Netravali, A. N., Advanced Green Composites based on Cross-linked Raw Plantain Starch and Liquid Crystalline Cellulose Fibers, AATCC International Conference, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA, April 19-21, 2016.
43. Netravali, A. N. and Khalil, H., ‘Workshop on Advanced Green Composites’, Guelph, CANADA, May 31-June 3, 2016.
44. Netravali, A. N., Cellulose Fiber Reinforced ‘Green’ Composites. AAIC International Conference, Industrial Crops: Advancing Sustainability, Rochester, New York, USA, September 24-28, 2016.
45. Kim, J. R. and Netravali, A. N., Fully Bio-based Self-healing Composites Using Microcapsules’, The Fiber Society 2016 Fall Meeting and Technical Conference, Ithaca, NY, USA, October 10-12, 2016.
46. Netravali, A. N., (Keynote Address), ‘Advanced Green Composites’, 9th International Conference on Green Composites, Kobe, JAPAN, November 2-4, 2016.