Towards The Engineering Research Center for Innovative Fibrous Materials

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Towards The Engineering Research Center for
Innovative Fibrous Materials

• Director
• Behnam Pourdeyhimi,
• bpourdey_at_ncsu.edu,
• 919-515-1822,
• Co-Director
• Ruben Carbonell,
• ruben_at_ncsu.edu,
• 919-515-5118,

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Nonwovens Innovative Fibrous Materials

• Nonwovens are Engineered Innovative Fabrics
• Nonwovens are manufactured by high-speed,
  low-cost processes Large Volume, Low Cost
• Nonwovens are in many applications already, but
  most are hidden and you do not see them

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History

• In 1991, The Nonwovens Cooperative Research
  Center (NCRC) started as a National Science
  Foundation Center in the form of a State Industry
  University Cooperative Research (State I/UCRC)
  Center.
• Funds were to come equally in the amount of
  300,000 each from the
• State of North Carolina
• Industry
• NSF
• In 1998, NCRC graduated from the National Science
  Foundation.

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NCRCs Growth ContinuesNCRC is the largest
I/UCRC in the Nation
Establishment of pilot and analytical
facilities Development of a model for Extension,
Engagement, Economic Development
Core Research
Non-Core Research Support Extension,
Engagement, Economic Development
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Current NCRC Supported Staff 16

• Five visiting Faculty/Scientists Teaching and
  Research
• Hooman Tafreshi
• Svetlana Verenich
• Eunkyoung Shim
• Benoit Maze
• Bong Yeom
• Twelve Full time Staff
• Sherwood Wallace
• Stephen Sharp
• Ben Lambert
• Alvin Fortner
• William Barnes
• Robert Byron
• John Fry
• Amy Minton
• Susan Pegram
• Wendy Cox
• Don Shiffler

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Investments in Infrastructure by NCRC
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Current Member Companies

• FULL MEMBER I
• BASF
• Clorox
• Colbond
• Cumins Filtration
• Eastman
• First Quality
• Jockey Int.
• KITECH
• MeadWestvaco
• NATICK
• NatureWorks
• Procter Gamble
• ProMetic
• Rohm and Haas
• FULL MEMBER II
• 3-M
• A. Celli

• AFFILIATE
• AFTECH
• Allasso Industries
• American Truetzschler
• Apexical, Inc.
• Atlantic Mills
• Dophes, Ltd
• Duke Energy
• Fi-Tech
• FlexForm Technologies
• Fluent
• General Nonwovens
• Groz-Beckert
• Herrmann Ultrasonics
• J. D. Hollingsworth
• Jenkins, Wilson Taylor
• NanoFiber Group
• Nippon Nozzle
• Nonwoven Media Int.

• FULL MEMBER II
• Dow
• DuPont
• FiberVisions
• CHA Technologies (FIT)
• Fleissner
• Freudenberg
• Hills Inc.
• INDA
• Johns Manville
• Kimberly-Clark
• Kuraray
• Milliken
• PGI Nonwovens
• Raytech Composites
• Rieter Textile Systems
• Sellers Wipes
• San Fang Chemical
• Sara Lee

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NCRCs Mission

• Education
• Training students
• Technology transfer
• Short Courses
• In-plant Training
• Research
• Core Creating Knowledge Fundamental Applied
• Non-core Outreach Applied Fundamental
• Economic Development (Extension/Engagement)
• Analytical services
• Product innovation/development

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Why an ERC?To Sustain and Support a Rapidly
Growing Industry

• Initially, focused on single-use disposable
  products, today this 50 billion industry, with
  as much as 11 billion in roll goods, produces a
  wide-ranging array of products These are not
  apparel textiles.
• Presently, the major markets include medical and
  hygiene, filtration, personal care and industrial
  and automotive.

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Innovation The Industry

• Are we doing enough to ensure our future?
• It is unlikely, that growth in these markets can
  be sustained, or that new markets can be
  generated, in the absence of significant
  innovations in materials or process technologies
  that can enable the development of new and
  innovative products.

Innovation
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The Vision

• to become a global research, educational, and
  training resource for the Fibrous Materials
  Industry by developing innovative fibrous
  materials and systems that sustain and improve
  the economic well being of the nation and
  contribute to the quality of the environment and
  public health.

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Mission

• to develop new scientific and engineering
  knowledge through world-class scholarship.
• to transfer that knowledge to the Industry to
  spawn commercialization of next-generation
  product technologies to drive the innovations
  required to realize new classes of uniquely
  robust and responsive products.

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Our Model
University, Industry, Government
Industry, University Government
NSFs Mission
Transferring Knowledge
Creating Knowledge
Adding Value
New Product Development
Fundamental Research
Core Research
Non-Core, Applied Research Extension, Engagement
and Economic Development
Graduate Undergraduate Education
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Goals

• Undertake research in the areas of materials
  synthesis, surface engineering, and
  structure/process modeling to aid in the
  development of new and innovative products
  related, but not restricted, to medical, surgical
  and drug delivery applications, biospecific
  biological separations processes, drug and toxin
  detection and removal, national defense, energy
  conversion, reinforced materials for construction
  and aeronautical applications, and energy
  conservation.

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Goals

• Build strategic alliances with industrial
  partners and facilitate technology transfer and
  commercialization, and meet the education,
  research, and engagement needs of the industry.
• Educate and train students and researchers
  through targeted educational programs, short
  courses, online and distance education programs,
  internships, sabbaticals, direct in-plant
  training, and one-on-one consulting.

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Research FocusResponsive Polymer Structures -
Examples

• Electrically conducting fibers Use in
  adsorptive filters detection and removal
• Thermally responsible fibers Drug delivery,
  sensors, energy conversion
• Impregnation of drugs into fibers Drug
  delivery, wound healing, surgical applications

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Research FocusSurface Modification Technologies
- Examples

• Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) approaches for
  organic, inorganic and metallic coatings
• Plasma treatment for ligand attachment
  Biospecific separations, detection, removal
• Controlling of surface-modified fiber properties

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Research FocusComposites Hybrid Materials -
Examples

• Particle nano fiber composites, nano tubes
  Uses in energy storage, conversion, catalysis
• Nano- and micro- particle impregnated membranes
  energy conversion, medical devices
• Composite/mixed-mode/gradient materials
  (combination of nano and micro fibers)

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Outreach

• Involve undergraduate and graduate students in
  research projects, publications, and
  presentations,  
• Develop an interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate
  and MS programs in Engineered Fabrics at NC
  State.
• Collaborate with The Science House and the Kenan
  Fellows Program at NC State to implement teacher
  institutes to train secondary school teachers on
  ways to teach engineering and scientific
  concepts.
• Work closely with North Carolina and US
  Department of Commerce, Wake County and other
  Economic Development groups to recruit small and
  mid-sized companies to North Carolina and provide
  in-plant training and technical assistance to
  those in need.

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Thrust Areas Leaders

• Fiber and Polymer Materials Synthesis
• Saad Khan Richard Spontak Alan Tonelli, Sam
  Hudson
• Surface Engineering
• Greg Parsons Jan Genzer Peter Hauser Ruben
  Carbonell
• Process Engineering, and Structure modeling
• Jon Rust Behnam Pourdeyhimi
• Structure modeling
• Hooman Tafreshi Jeffrey W. Eischen George
  Chase, Dr. Alexander Yarin
• Entrepreneurship Systems

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Status to date

• First draft will be ready by 3/26
• Over 50 responses from NCSU and Partner
  universities
• NCSU
• Georgia Tech
• Maryland
• Akron
• U.I.C
• Loughborough
• Liberec

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National Science Foundation
AOC Council of Deans NCSU and Partner
Universities
Communications Director
University Policy Committee NCSU and Partner
Universities
Industrial Advisory Board
Director Co-Director
Deputy Director
Center Analyst
Associate Director Research
Associate Director Education
Associate Director Tech. Transfer