A research group at Purdue is using cellulose’s properties to make more sustainable products like laminated films.

This group, led by Jeff Youngblood, professor in materials engineering, works with nanocellulose fibers to make stronger and more renewable materials than glass.

A multi-institutional team of researchers has developed a way to precisely engineer the temperatures at which vanadium dioxide—a material used in high-tech applications ranging from homes to satellites—will undergo phase transition. Their work, published today in the journal Nano Letters, could lead to new types of tunable materials for optics, camouflage and thermal regulation.