Dr. Jeffrey P. Youngblood of Purdue University’s School of Materials Engineering recently spent two days on campus in a move to share knowledge and research applications in the area of cellulose nanomaterials.

The Renewable Bioproducts Institute sponsored his two-day visit in May.

"We are always pleased to host someone of Jeff’s caliber who is making tremendous inroads in areas of renewable and sustainable composites,” said RBI Executive Director Norman Marsolan. “ His work has specific relevance to much of our own research here at RBI and shows the focus being given to the understanding of CN materials design.”

Faculty representing the schools of materials science and chemical and biomolecular engineering hosted tours of various labs, organized panel discussions and arranged for a lunch roundtable with students representing CN@GT, who have a particular focus on renewable and sustainable nanocomposites.

Professor Youngblood also delivered a seminar — “Nano-/Bio- is not an Either/Or Choice for Composites” — at the Molecular and Science Engineering building, hosted by professors Elsa Reichmanis, John Reynolds and Paul Russo.

His presentation outlined the attractiveness of cellulose nanomaterials for applications in nanocomposites reinforcement, nanomaterials and biomedicine due to their high strength and stiffness, yet being biodegradable, non-toxic, inexpensive and optically transparent.

He detailed efforts to characterize CN and CN composite mechanical and thermal properties and how to understand what factors dictate behavior. His research provides new elements to understand the interconnection among preparation variables toward optimal CN materials design. 

Professor Youngblood began his collegiate studies at Louisiana State University majoring in Chemistry and Physics.  Working in the laboratory of Professor William Daly, Professor Youngblood spent three years working on compatibilization, ageing, and thermomechanical investigation of asphalt/polymer blends and the synthesis of liquid crystalline nonlinear optical polymers.  In 1996, Professor Youngblood started Ph.D. studies at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering.  Under the direction of Professor Thomas McCarthy, Youngblood investigated the Superhydrophobic Effect, developed general methods for chemical surface modification of polymers, and synthesized pendant siloxane block copolymers. 

Moving on to postdoctoral work at Cornell’s Materials Science and Engineering Department under direction of Professor Christopher Ober, he developed synthetic strategies for the development of coatings that prevent marine biofouling. 

In 2003, Professor Youngblood accepted a position in the School of Materials Engineering at Purdue University.  Promoted to Associate Professor in 2009 and Professor in 2015, he uses his polymer expertise to investigate nanotechnology, surface science, advanced processing and biomaterials.  Of late, he has been specifically interested in ceramic processing using polymeric methods, advanced composites and fabrication, renewable resins and cellulose nanocomposites, the latter of which has been a particular area of interest over the past six years.

To find out more about Professor Youngblood’s work, click here.