Polymeric Materials News

Evan Gonzalez has been chosen to be one of five members of the 2025 Distinguished Graduate Research Program (DGRP). Through the PNNL-WSU Distinguished Graduate Research Program (DGRP), Ph.D. students will […]

Congratulations to Zihui Zhao for defending her Doctor of Individual Interdisciplinary dissertation, The Development of Textile-Based Conductive Wearables via Direct Ink Writing (DIW) 3D Printing Technology. Good job, Zihui! Zihui […]

Congratulations to Kundavi Thanda for defending her Master of Materials Science and Engineering thesis, Developing Cellulose-Based Foams From Cotton waste. Good job, Kundavi!

Imagine a T-shirt that could monitor your heart rate or blood pressure. Or a pair of socks that could provide feedback on your running stride. It may be closer than you think, […]

A new method to recycle wind turbine blades without using harsh chemicals resulted in the recovery of high-strength glass fibers and resins that allowed Washington State University researchers to re-purpose […]

Washington State University researchers have received a $2 million Department of Energy (DOE) research award to develop an eco-friendly way to use recycled carbon fiber in car components. Using recycled […]

Congratulations to Lin Shao, who won the award of Outstanding Dissertation at this year’s annual convication ceremony! Lin’s nominators say that he is a truly exceptional graduate student and has […]

The Office of Commercialization has awarded Jinwen Zhang, Xianming Shi, and six other WSU researchers with the Commercialization Gap Fund (CGF) for 2024. The CGF supports research projects with high […]

Engineering professors Xianming Shi and Jinwen Zhang have been honored as senior members of the National Academy of Inventors. The Academy recognizes senior members for their success in patents, licensing, […]

Meet Dr. Hang Liu, an associate professor in the Department of Apparel, Merchandising, Design and Textiles at Washington State University in Pullman, WA. Learn how Dr. Liu’s research is revolutionizing […]

A single strand of fiber developed at Washington State University has the flexibility of cotton and the electric conductivity of a polymer, called polyaniline. The newly developed material showed good […]

Jinwen Zhang’s lab prepared a short video explaining how spent wind turbine blades can be recycled into new polymers rather than sent to landfills. This proposal was submitted to the […]

Congratulations to Ming-en Fei, who was awarded the Heh-Won Chang Ph.D. Fellowship in Green Chemistry! Ming-en presented his latest research findings at the 27th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference […]

Postdoctoral researcher Wangcheng Liu has received a Washington State Research Foundation fellowship for his work in chemical recycling of plastics.  Liu, who received his PhD at WSU in materials science […]

Jinwen Zhang is one of nine WSU Scientist to receive a 2022 Commericalization Gap Fund. The Commercialization Gap Fund (CGF) provides funding to help WSU scientists bring their technology from […]

January 18, 2022 — Harvest a hazelnut, and you’re left with a shell. These hard, thin, slow-decaying husks are typically mulched or discarded, but Washington State University scientist Vikram Yadama […]

The world’s mounting plastic trash crisis is hard to solve because it has many dimensions: social, technical, and economic. But because chemistry brought the problem into the world, it doesn’t […]

PULLMAN, Wash. – A WSU research team for the first time has developed a promising way to recycle the popular carbon fiber plastics that are used in everything from modern airplanes […]

Wound healing, smart textiles, biodegradable hydraulic fluid and estimation of apple crops with a smartphone are some of the innovations that are closer to reaching the market thanks to the Commercialization […]

The most complex chemistry lab on the planet is growing in your neighborhood. There might be a tree in your own backyard, cranking out chemicals as it converts sunlight to […]

SEATTLE – Washington state-based Alaska Airlines today made history by flying the first commercial flight using the world’s first renewable, alternative jet fuel made from forest residuals, the limbs, and […]

Building tours, a reception, and music from the WSU Cougar Marching Band were part of the dedication of the new PACCAR Environmental Technology Building at Washington State University on Thursday, […]

Wood-framed skyscrapers, resistant to fire and earthquakes and made from locally harvested wood, may someday dot the skylines of North American cities. A new building at Washington State University, opening […]

A biodegradable gel that can absorb more than 250 times its weight in water could potentially help farmers retain moisture in drought-stricken fields. Read more…

Washington State University will receive a five-year, $40 million grant to help develop alternatives to petroleum-based fuels and chemicals. The award was announced Sept. 28 by U.S. Department of Agriculture […]

When an entrepreneur wanted to learn more about wood plastic composites (WPC), an Internet search led him to WSU. The ensuing partnership resulted in a factory opening that will employ […]

At the Washington State University Wood Materials and Engineering Laboratory, Jinwen Zhang is working hard to change the negative impact plastic food utensils and other household items have on the […]

Bacteria break down waste, build bioplastics The same type of bacteria that help break down paper mill waste could also become an increasingly viable source of environmentally friendly biopolymers that […]

A structural wood plastic composite (WPC) developed with funding by the Office of Naval Research (under the direction of Ignacio Perez) was recently deployed in a pedestrian bridge accessing the Rattlesnake Wilderness […]

By Tina Hilding, College of Engineering and Architecture Rattlesnake Creek Pedestrian Bridge wins prestigious design award from the American Council of Engineering Companies The designers of an innovative bridge that […]

Three samples of premium wood-plastic composite lumber sit in a stack on a shelf in David Thompson’s office at Idaho National Laboratory. The dense, fine-grained boards are uniformly colored in shades […]

By Becky Phillips Contributing writer Polymer pallets support Washington exports In a research laboratory, a little like a giant kitchen, Jinwen Zhang is cooking up a recipe aimed at supporting […]