Anil Netravali

Anil Netravali

After obtaining Ph.D. from North Carolina State University in 1984 Dr. Netravali joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Cornell University as a postdoctoral associate. In 1985 he joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering as a research associate. In August of 1987 he joined the Department of Fiber Science & Apparel Design as an assistant professor of Fiber Science. His main research is in the field of Fiber Reinforced Composites and Green Materials. Within the area of composites his group has developed Green resins from plant-based proteins and starches and reinforced them using plant-based fibers to fabricate environment-friendly, Green Composites for a variety of applications.  In the past few years, his research group has developed green resins that have excellent mechanical properties; in some cases, better than commonly used epoxy resins. These carbon-neutral alternatives for the conventional petroleum-based composites are fully compostable at the end of their life. His group has also made Advanced Green Composites with high strength and toughness that may be used in structural and ballistic applications. The second focus is in modification of fiber surfaces to control fiber/resin interface characteristics in composites. His research group has used many techniques to modify fiber surfaces to control their topography and chemistry and thus their adhesion to resins and mechanical properties of composites. His group has used polymerizing and non-polymerizing plasmas, pulsed excimer laser, high power ion beam, solvent treatments, etc., to modify fiber surfaces. A third focus of his group is to develop new green nanofibers from proteins for a variety of applications including high efficiency filtration and bacterial cellulose from food and agricultural waste for use in composites, medical and other applications.

I teach FSAD 1350, Fibers, Fabrics and Finishes, alternate years, for freshmen in the department of Fiber Science & Apparel Design. This course is required for all FSAD students. However, students from other departments within the College of Human Ecology as well as other colleges across the campus and outside Cornell (Ithaca College) take the course to fulfill their science requirements. The course introduces the students to various natural and synthetic fibers, production and properties of yarns and fabrics as well as dyeing and finishing of fabrics. Teaching this course is always a challenge because of the diverse interests of the students. I try to make students aware of both conventional and latest technologies and as well as materials used for fibers and their applications including the green and sustainable technologies.

FSAD 1360, Fibers, Fabrics and Finishes Laboratory, consists of several lab sessions in which students learn techniques to identify and characterize fibers and yarns. This course is restricted to FSAD students only and gives hands on experience to students. I teach this course every other year, together with FSAD 1350.

I also teach FSAD 3350, Fiber Science, at the undergraduate level and FSAD 6200, Physical Properties of Fiber Forming Polymers and Fibers, at the graduate level. FSAD 3350 is designed for our students in the Fiber Science option and is a recommended elective for Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE). However, students from other colleges and departments in CHE have also taken this course. FSAD 3350 also has lab sections for characterizing various fiber properties. This course has been useful in attracting MS&E students in Fiber Science program. Two students did research in my group and one of them wrote his Senior Thesis. Several other students have worked in other faculty labs. MS&E students’ participation in Fiber Science course also resulted in starting a Minor in Fiber Science.

Dr. Netravali is a member of the American Chemical Society, the Fiber Society and the American Nano Society. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM) in Manaus, Brazil, and a Visiting Professor at Kyoritsu Women’s University in Tokyo, Japan, and has been an International Research Fellow at the Composites Center at Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan. He serves on Editorial Advisory Boards of 5 research journals; Composites Science and Technology, Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology (JAST), Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy (JBMBE), Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics (JEFF) and Textile Research Journal (TRJ). He is a member of the Advisory Committee of the International Workshop on Green Composites, a member of the International Scientific Committee for the Amazonic Green Materials and Processes Meetings and a member of the Scientific Committee and Review Board of the International Conferences on Composites/Nano Engineering (ICCE).  He is also an Advisory board member for the Sustainable Textile Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina.  He is a Faculty Fellow at the David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future at Cornell University.

Fiber reinforced composites are used in many applications where metals have been commonly used because of their high specific mechanical properties. Most high strength fibers and resins used in these ‘Advanced Composites’ are based on petroleum feedstock, a non-renewable resource that is expected to be almost non-existent 50-60 years from now. With expanding applications and high growth in production of composites in the past few decades, their disposal at the end of their intended life has become difficult and expensive. Because composites are made combining two dissimilar materials they are difficult to be recycled or reused. While only a small fraction of the composite waste is incinerated to obtain energy or crushed into powder for use as low grade filler, the remaining composites end up in landfills. Major part of our research is directed towards creating fully sustainable and environment-friendly ‘green’ resins and composites using yearly renewable plant-based polymers and fibers that are mostly carbon neutral. At the end of their life green composites can be easily composted to create organic soil for growing more plants. My research group has developed green resins based on plant proteins and starches that are not only suitable for use in packaging, housing or transportation panels, furniture, board sports and secondary structural applications. We have also developed high strength Advanced Green Composites made using liquid crystalline cellulose fibers that have toughness comparable to aramid fiber based composites. These advanced green composites may be used as primary structural elements and even for some ballistic applications.

Second part of our research in composites involves Advanced Composites made using high strength fibers such as graphite, aramids and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) that are used in a wide range of applications from aerospace to sports gear and from automobile body parts to civil structures. Critical mechanical properties of composites such as toughness and longitudinal and transverse strength are controlled by fiber/resin interfacial bonding. My research group has been working in modifying fiber surface topography and chemistry to control their adhesion to different resins. We have used many techniques including polymerizing and non-polymerizing plasmas, pulsed excimer laser, high power ion beam, solvent treatments and their combinations to obtain desired chemical groups on the fiber surface and modify surface roughness to control the fiber/resin interfacial bonding. We are also working to control resin and fiber/resin interfacial properties using nanoparticles and nanofibrils in resin or fiber surfaces.

Our research in green nanofibers involves creating new nanofibers such as bacterial cellulose (BC) using food and agricultural wastes and green nanofibers from plant and other proteins and starches for high efficiency filters as well as other applications including composites.

Current research projects
- Development of fully biodegradable, environment-friendly ‘green’ composites and nanocomposites using plant based fibers and resins
- Surface modification of high strength fibers to control their adhesion to various resins including nanophase epoxies
- Development of bacterial cellulose and high strength composites

- Development of ‘green’ nanofibers and applications

- I am a member of the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR) and have worked through the center on some of their outreach activities.

- I am also a Faculty Fellow at the Atkinson Center for Sustainable Future (ACSF) and participate in the center activities.

- I am also a member of the Cornell Center for Global Sustainable Enterprise (CGSE) and have participated in their activities including presenting lecture on Green Materials Opportunities.

- I have delivered several lectures to county agents and other groups invited by CCE on my research in 'Green Materials' and its usefulness.

• Ph.D. - North Carolina State University, Fiber and Polymer Science
• M.S. - North Carolina State University, Fiber and Polymer Science
• M.S. - University of Bombay, Textiles
• B.S. - University of Bombay, Textiles

• FSAD 1350 - Fibers, Fabrics and Finishes
• FSAD 1360 - Fiber, Yarn Analysis Laboratory
• FSAD 3350 - Fiber Science
• FSAD 4010 - Emirical Research
• FSAD 4020 - Supervised Filedwork
• FSAD 4990 - Undergraduate Research
• FSAD 6200 - Physical Properties of Fiber-forming Polymers and Fibers
• FSAD 8990 - MS Research
• FSAD 9990 - PhD Research

http://www.human.cornell.edu/che/bio.cfm?netid=ann2

Member, Lecturer Search Committee, 2012

Member, Graduate Admissions Committee, FSAD

Acting Chair, Occasionally

Ghosh Dastidar, T. and Netravali, A. N., Improving resin and film forming properties of  native starches by chemical and physical modifications, J Biomaterials and Bioenergy, 6, pp 1-24,  2012.

Kim, J. T. and Netravali, A. N. Non-food application of Camelina Meal: Development of Sustainable and green biodegradable paper-camelina composite sheets and fibers, Polymer Composites, 33 (11), pp. 1969-1976, 2012.  DOI 10.1002/pc.22337

Netravali, A. N. and Mittal, K. L., Fiber Surface Treatment: Relevance to Interfacial Characteristics, Invited Chapter in “Wiley Encyclopedia of Composites”, 2^nd Edition, L. Nicolais and A. Borzacchiello (Eds.), 2012.

Qiu, K. and Netravali, A. N., Biodegradable Composites of PVA reinforced with Microfibrillated Cellulose, Composites Science & Technology, Published on-line, 6-14-12.  DOI:10.1080/01694243.2012.697658

Kim, J. T. and Netravali, A. N., Development of Aligned Hemp Yarn-Reinforced Green Composites with Soy Protein Resin: Effect of pH on Mechanical and Interfacial Properties, Composites Sci. Tech., 71, pp. 541-547, 2011.

Netravali, A. N. and Bahners, T., Adhesion Promotion using Photonic Surface Modifications, J. Adhes. Sci. Tech., 24, pp. 45-75, 2010.

Kumar, H., Hosur, M. and Netravali, A. N., Characterization of Interface Properties of Clay Nanoplatelets Filled Epoxy Resin and Carbon Fiber by Single Fiber Composite technique, J. Adhes. Sci. Tech., 24, pp. 217-236, 2010.

Nakamura, R., Goda, K., Noda, J. and Netravali, A. N., Elastic Properties of Green Composites Reinforced with Ramie Twisted Yarn, J. Solid Mechanics and Materials Engineering, 4 (11), pp. 1605-1614, 2010.