Showing 154 results for Author: Soydan Ozcan
Aug, 2026
Journal
Biochar, a bio-based co-product of biofuel production via thermochemical conversion, holds potential as a filler for polymer composites to reduce costs, improve thermomechanical properties, and aid in environmental remediation. 3D-printed biochar composites have received growing interest over the past few years but have experienced difficulties such as poor layer adhesion…
Aug, 2026
Journal
Hybrid fiber-reinforced polymer composites (HFRPs) are multifunctional materials that bear more than one characteristic benefit. In this study, hybrid cellulose fibers, e.g., pulp fiber (PF) and cellulose nanofibril (CNF), were used for reinforcing poly(lactic acid) (PLA). A synergistic approach was applied to disperse CNF. The low-surface-tension solvent (ethanol), togeth…
Aug, 2026
Journal
Bio-based composites containing natural fiber reinforcements have been integral to developing innovative, low-cost, and low-energy technologies for transportation applications in marine, automotive, and other industries. The low density of natural fibers gives these materials a high specific stiffness and strength, which can lead to significant weight savings in composites…
Jul, 2026
ORNL Report
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) worked with Mitsubishi Chemical America, Inc. to develop a highly biodegradable ~100% biobased feedstock for large format additive manufacturing (AM). Together, they developed a AM feedstock based on the biobased polyester, polybutylene succinate (PBS), that is typically used in agriculture and packaging projects. The motivation for thi…
Jul, 2026
Journal
Fibrillated cellulose derived from forestry feedstocks represents a renewable and high-strength materials platform for circular bioeconomies. However, its practical implementation is hindered by the irreversible aggregation of nanocellulose architectures, including cellulose nanofibers (CNFs). Solvent-based dispersion offers a simple and practical route to prevent CNF aggr…
Jul, 2026
Journal
Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) have significant potential in composites as additives to improve mechanical properties, melt rheology, and more. However, agglomeration of CNFs is a key challenge in composite melt processing as obtaining nano-level dispersion of CNFs often requires cost- and energy-intensive processes (e.g., solvent exchange or freeze drying) due to the strong…
Jun, 2026
Journal
3D-printed catalysts with open-celled structures can significantly reduce mass and heat transfer resistance compared with traditional pellet counterparts. However, current 3D printing techniques typically achieve only about 70 wt% zeolite loading. While higher loading is desirable to improve catalyst performance, it also increases slurry viscosity, leading to printing chal…
Jun, 2026
Journal
Cellulosic fibers can impart many unique benefits into composite applications, such as reduced weight or structural reinforcement, however, these materials also increase hygro-scopicity and decrease thermal stability – restricting broader application. The present work adapted an experimental process for functionalizing the cellulose surface using cit-ric acid (CA). Functio…
May, 2026
Conference Paper
The growing demand for hybrid polymer composites with multifunctional properties has led to the development of various hybridization techniques, such as multi-material compounding and controlled laminate stacking sequence. In this study, a novel hybrid manufacturing approach was used by integrating a multiplexing extrusion system (MExS) based on additive manufacturing with…
May, 2026
Journal
Traditional extrusion-based additive manufacturing is limited to single material systems, restricting the multifunctional properties of composites. To overcome this limitation, multiplexed additive manufacturing–compression molding (AM-CM) was employed to fabricate multi-material thermoplastic composites with spatially tailored architectures. Neat acrylonitrile butadiene s…
May, 2026
Journal
The global plastic waste crisis has increased in severity in recent years: annual plastic production is projected to reach 500 million metric tons by 2025, and plastic waste accumulation is expected to surpass 12 billion metric tons. Despite these growing volumes, only ∼9% of plastic waste is currently recycled; the majority is either landfilled, incinerated, or mismanaged…
Mar, 2026
Journal
Modern automotive applications demand lightweight, multifunctional materials to reach mileage goals and natural fiber reinforced composites (NFRCs) are one of the classes of materials proposed as a solution. NFRCs exhibit good vibration damping properties and have low density, but are often limited by processing challenges, poor-fiber matrix compatibility and variable perf…