Anil Netravali
Professor
2008
FSAD

Web Bio Page

Current Activities

Current Professional Activities
Dr. Netravali is a member of the American Chemical Society, the Fiber Society and the Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering (SAMPE). Currently he is a member of the governing council of the Fiber Society.  He is an International Research Fellow at the Composites Center at Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan, and a Visiting Professor at Kyoritsu Womens University in Tokyo, Japan. He serves on the Editorial Advisory Boards of the Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology, Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy, Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics and Textile Research Journal. He is a member of the Advisory Committee of the International Workshop on Green Composites and a member of the Scientific Committee and Review Board of the International Conferences on Composites/Nano Engineering (ICCE).

Current Research Activities

Most commercial fiber reinforced plastics (composites) are non-biodegradable. Further, fibers and resins used in these composites are based on petroleum feedstock, a non-renewable resource. With double-digit growth in the use of composites and plastics, their disposal problem has become difficult and expensive. Because composites are made using two dissimilar materials they are difficult to recycle or reuse. While a small fraction of the composite waste is incinerated to obtain energy value or crushed into powder and used as filler, most of these composites, at the end of their life, end up in landfills making that land unusable for several decades at the least. Our research is directed towards developing fully sustainable and environment-friendly green composites using yearly renewable plant-based fibers and resins that are mostly carbon neutral. In addition, after their intended use they can be disposed of easily or composted without harming the environment. Current versions of green composites developed in my research group are suitable for use in packaging, housing or transportation panels, furniture, board sports and secondary structural applications. However, we have developed high strength Advanced Green Composites using liquid crystalline cellulose fibers and soy based resins that are as tough as the aramid fiber based composites. These advanced green composites can be used in structural applications.

Advanced polymeric composites have replaced traditional metals and alloys in many applications where savings in weight, without reduction in performance, is critical. Composites made using high strength fibers such as graphite, aramids, glass and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) are now used in a wide range of applications from aerospace to sports gear and from automobile body parts to civil structures. Important mechanical properties of composites such as longitudinal and transverse strength and toughness are controlled by fiber/resin interfacial bonding. Our research group is involved in modifying fiber surface topography and chemistry to control their interfacial strength with resins and thus the mechanical performance of the composites. We use many techniques such as polymerizing and non-polymerizing plasmas, pulsed excimer laser, high power ion beam, solvent and combinations of treatments to obtain desired reactivity and the polar nature of the fiber surface and increase surface roughness to control the fiber/resin interfacial bonding. We have characterized the adhesion between flexible fabric-based composites (liners) to steel and cast iron pipes and the effect of aging for special applications.

Our group has also initiated an interdisciplinary research program to develop bacterial cellulose (BC) fibers for a variety of applications.

Current research projects
- Development of fully biodegradable, environment-friendly ‘green’ composites and nanocomposites
- Surface modification of high strength fibers to improve/control their bonding to various resins including nanophase epoxies
- Use of plasma technology in textile processing
- Development of bacterial cellulose



Current Extension Activities
I am a member of the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR) and have worked through the center on some of their outreach activities as listed below:

- Participation in the Materials Science Workshop for High School Teachers through Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR), High technology Rochester, Rochester, October 27, 2007, Cornell University, NY

- Worked with High School Science teacher in the ‘Research Experience for Teachers’ (RET) program, summer, 2007

I am also a member of the Cornell Center for Global Sustainable Enterprise (CGSE) and work closely with the center.

Biography

Biographical Statement
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 and Apparel Design in the Fiber Science Program as an assistant professor. His main research is in the field of Fiber Reinforced Composites. Within composites the major focus is to develop fully sustainable and biodegradable, environment-friendly Green Composites that can be used in place of petroleum based conventional composites. Green composites are made using plant-based fibers and resins that are carbon-neutral and can be easily disposed of or composted at the end of their life. In the past few years, his research group has made significant progress in developing plant-based green resins, e.g. soy protein and starch, with excellent mechanical and physical properties; in some cases, better than commonly used epoxies. Using these resins his group has been successful in developing high strength Advanced Green Composites that can be used in structural applications. The second focus is fiber/resin interface, particularly in using various techniques to modify the high strength fiber surfaces to control their adhesion to resins. Fiber/resin interface characteristics can be manipulated to control mechanical properties of composites to suit the applications. His research group has used many techniques such as plasma, high power ion beam, solvent treatments, etc. to modify fiber surfaces. Current research involves the use of pulsed excimer laser to modify the topography and chemical nature of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers to improve their adhesion to epoxy resins. A third focus is to develop bacterial cellulose for a variety of applications including high strength composites.

Education


Administrative Responsibilities
I have been the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) for the Department of Textiles and Apparel since 2003.

I am also the site Director for Cornell activities for NTC.

Courses, Websites, Pubs

Courses Taught
  • FSAD 1350 - Fibers, Fabrics and Finishes
  • FSAD 1360 - Fiber, Yarn Analysis Laboratory
  • FSAD 3350 - Fiber Science
  • FSAD 6200 - Physical Properties of Fiber-Forming Polymers and Fibers


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

    Selected Publications
    Huang, X. and Netravali, A. N., Biodegradable Green Composites Made using Bamboo Micro/Nano-Fibrils and Chemically Modified Soy Protein Resin, Composites Science and Technology, In Press, 2009. DOI:10.1016/j.compscitech.2009.01.014

    Causa, A. G. and Netravali, A. N., Characterization and Measurement of Fabric Properties, pp. 4-47, in Structure and Mechanics of Fiber Assemblies, P. Schwartz, Ed., Woodhead Publishing Ltd., Cambridge, UK, 2008.

    Netravali, A. N., Huang, X. and Mizuta, K., Advanced Green Composites, Advanced Composite Materials, 16, pp. 269-282, 2007.

    Lew, C., Choudhury, F., Hosur, M. and Netravali, A. N., The Effect of Silica (SiO2) Nanoparticle and Ethylene/Ammonia Plasma on the Carbon Fiber/NanoEpoxy Interfacial Shear Strength, J. Adhes. Sci. Tech., 21(14), pp. 1407-1424, 2007.

    Yamamoto, Y., Zahora, D. and Netravali, A. N., Determination of the Interfacial Properties between Modified Soy Protein Resin and Kenaf Fiber, Composite Interfaces, 14 (7), pp. 699-713, 2007.

    Netravali, A. N., Fiber/Resin Interface Modification in ‘Green’ Composites, pp. 847-867, in Handbook of Engineering Biopolymers, Homopolymers, Blends and Composites, S. Fakirov and D. Bhattacharyya, Ed.s, Hanser Publishers, Munich, Germany, 2007.

    Zeng, J. and Netravali, A. N., XeCl Excimer Laser Treatment of Vectran® Fibers in Diethylenetriamine (DETA) Environment, pp. 87-111, in Polymer Surface Modification: Relevance to Adhesion, Vol. 4, K. L Mittal, Ed., VSP, Leiden, The Netherlands, 2007.

    Nam S. and Netravali, A. N., ‘Green’ Composites Part 2: Environment-friendly, Biodegradable Composites using Ramie Fibers and Soy Protein Concentrate (SPC) Polymer, Fibers and Polymers, 7(4), pp. 380-388, (2006).

    Huang, X. and Netravali, A. N., Characterization of Nano-Clay Reinforced Phytagel® Modified Soy Protein Concentrate, Biomacromolecules, 7, pp. 2783-2789 (2006).

    Desai, S., Netravali, A. N., and Thompson, M. O., Novel, High Performance Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) based on Carbon Fibres, Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, 16, pp. 1403-1407 (2006).