Researchers from UD Center for Composite Materials (UD-CCM) — Dr. Dirk Heider, Prof. Srikanth Pilla and Dr. Sagar Doshi along with graduate students Jonathan Wilson and Michael Vo — have partnered with Prof. Alexandra Huddell and graduate student Cody Mortell from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources to evaluate natural fiber crops grown at the University of Delaware. This collaboration is part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded research program aimed at understanding how agricultural conditions affect the properties of engineered natural fibers. The project develops next-generation natural fiber composites using UD-CCM’s patented TuFF process, with an emphasis on utilizing marginal lands to increase crop acreage and generate high-value opportunities for both farmers and manufacturers.
Key collaborators include:
- Southern University and A&M College- Baton Rouge: Machine learning–guided design and synthesis of polymers with healing capability
- Clemson University: Process modeling and finite element simulations
- BrightMa Farms, Inc: Farmer training and scale-up of farm-grown high-performance fiber composites
An exciting intersection of agriculture, advanced manufacturing, and materials innovation – driven by research, collaboration, and real-world impact.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. 2418415. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.