Kiran Lab publication featured on the cover of the Journal of Applied Polymer Science

A recent article published in the Journal of Applied Polymer Science (https://doi.org/10.1002/app.50698) from the group of Erdogan Kiran, professor of chemical engineering at Virginia Tech, comprising graduate and undergraduate researchers has been selected to be on the cover of the Journal of Applied Polymer Science.

The article calls attention to the impacts of molds in generating polymer foams which are ubiquitous in everyday life as seat cushions, shoe soles, building materials, and numerous other products.

“Molds are being increasingly used in the literature to study or modify polymer foaming behavior,” said graduate student Joseph Sarver. “This is the first example where their influence on foaming outcomes has been systematically studied.”

Understanding how mold geometries alter foaming outcomes allows researchers fresh perspectives on how work conducted in the laboratory can be translated to industry.

Kiran’s lab is studying how carbon dioxide at high pressure and elevated temperatures – as a compressed or supercritical fluid – can be used to process polymers and generate polymer foams in a more environmentally friendly manner than traditional methodologies. “The lab is unique with its state-of-the-art in house developed high-pressure instrumentation,” says Kiran, “which allows for fundamental and applied research with supercritical fluids.”