Research Tracks

Over 60% of cotton and cotton-blend fabrics are treated with DMDHEU (dimethylol dihydroxyethylene urea) to achieve durab...

Durable water repellent (DWR) finishes on outdoor apparel, military uniforms, and performance textiles rely heavily on p...

Antimicrobial textile finishes predominantly use silver nanoparticles, triclosan, or quaternary ammonium compounds. Silv...

Halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) such as brominated and chlorinated compounds are widely used in upholstery, children...

Formaldehyde-based dye fixatives are widely used to improve colorfastness on cellulosic fibers dyed with direct and reac...

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is the dominant sizing agent for cotton and blended yarns in weaving, applied to over 30 billion...

Nonwoven fabrics used in wipes, filters, geotextiles, and hygiene products rely on synthetic latex binders (styrene-buta...

Food-contact paper packaging — including burger wrappers, pizza boxes, microwave popcorn bags, and bakery bags — relies ...

Wet-strength resins used in corrugated packaging are predominantly polyamidoamine-epichlorohydrin (PAE) resins, which co...

An estimated 250 billion paper cups are used globally each year, virtually all lined with polyethylene (PE) film to prev...

Molded fiber food containers (clamshells, bowls, trays) for takeout and delivery are coated with PFAS or plastic linings...

Paper straws were introduced as the leading alternative to banned single-use plastic straws, but consumer dissatisfactio...

Plywood manufacturing consumes over 10 million tonnes of urea-formaldehyde (UF) adhesive annually, making it the single ...

Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is the most widely used engineered wood product in furniture, cabinetry, and interior co...

Particleboard is the most-produced wood composite globally at over 120 million cubic meters per year, used in flat-pack ...

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is the fastest-growing structural building material, enabling mass timber buildings up to 2...

Fiberglass and mineral wool insulation — found in 90% of North American homes — uses phenol-formaldehyde (PF) binder res...

Polylactic acid (PLA) was promoted as the biodegradable solution to plastic pollution, but in practice, PLA only degrade...

Molded pulp — used for egg cartons, meat trays, fish trays, produce trays, and premium electronics packaging — universal...

PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is the world's most common plastic for bottles and food packaging, with over 70 million...

Mixed plastic waste — the unsorted residue after PET and HDPE are removed — represents over 60% of all plastic waste and...

Bioplastics like PLA and PHA suffer from poor heat resistance, brittleness, and limited mechanical performance compared ...

Commercial seed coatings rely on synthetic polymers like polyvinyl alcohol and polyacrylamide to bind pesticides, nutrie...

Controlled-release fertilizers use synthetic polymer coatings (polyurethane, polyolefin, alkyd resins) that accumulate a...

Degraded agricultural soils suffer from poor water retention, compaction, and depleted organic matter. Current synthetic...

Agricultural crop protection films (row covers, low tunnels) are predominantly made from polyethylene or polypropylene, ...

Polyethylene mulch film is used on millions of hectares globally for weed suppression and soil moisture retention but cr...

Chrome tanning dominates 80-85% of global leather production but generates hexavalent chromium-contaminated wastewater a...

Retanning uses synthetic polymers (acrylic, melamine, naphthalene sulfonates) and auxiliary chrome to achieve desired le...

Single-use cellulosic nonwovens — surgical drapes, isolation gowns, wound care dressings, industrial wipes — require wet...

Leather surface finishes rely heavily on polyurethane dispersions, nitrocellulose lacquers, and acrylic binders that con...

Chromate conversion coatings (hexavalent chromium) have been the gold standard for metal corrosion protection for decade...

Marine biofouling costs the shipping industry $30-60B annually in fuel penalties and maintenance. Tributyltin (TBT) was ...

Architectural latex paints rely on coalescent solvents (Texanol, glycol ethers) to enable film formation below the polym...

Industrial protective coatings for infrastructure, pipelines, and heavy equipment rely on two-component epoxy and polyur...

Automotive clear coats use melamine-formaldehyde or isocyanate crosslinkers cured at 130-140°C to achieve the hardness, ...

Silicone-based release coatings dominate the pressure-sensitive adhesive label, tape, and composite molding industries b...

Hydrogels for biomedical applications (wound care, drug delivery, tissue engineering) are commonly crosslinked with glut...

Advanced wound dressings use synthetic adhesives and crosslinked hydrocolloid matrices that can cause skin stripping inj...

Controlled drug delivery microparticles and nanoparticles rely on synthetic polymers (PLGA, PLA, polycaprolactone) with ...

Dental composite resins are based on BPA-derived monomers (Bis-GMA, Bis-EMA) and crosslinkers (TEGDMA) that release BPA ...

Tissue engineering scaffolds require biocompatible crosslinkers to stabilize natural polymer matrices (collagen, gelatin...