December 9, 2019 - March 16, 2020
Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking
500 10th St. NW, Atlanta, GA
Writers tell stories with words; artists tell stories with pictures; and together, words and images form a powerful tool for communication, expression, and narrative.
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Fast Film Fest is here! The festival, in which participants use paper as the basis of their five-minute or shorter “fast film” returns with a challenging new theme, “metamorphosis.” The festival itself is transforming into an event open to everyone inside and outside of the Georgia Tech community. The submission deadline is 10pm, Friday, February 21.
The final event of the festival! Settle in with your popcorn and drink, and take in all the creative and clever ways that festival participants interpreted “metamorphosis!” Who will win the coveted “People’s Choice Award”?
Renewable Bioproducts Institute
Fee: Free
Open to the Public
]]>Winning submissions are eligible for prizes, and will be announced at a screening on Friday, March 6, 2020, in the auditorium of the Paper Tricentennial Building. Participants can enter as individuals or in groups of up to five members.
“We had amazing entries at last year’s Fast Film Fest,” says event coordinator Jerushia Graham, “This year we’ve been able to open up the competition to anyone interested in participating, and we are thrilled to have this expanded audience.” The museum is offering a series of free workshops with the Georgia Tech libraries and ASIFA-South, the Atlanta chapter of the International Film Society, to encourage participants to experiment with all manner of paper animation techniques.
For more information, or to register, visit https://tinyurl.com/fastfilm2 or PaperAnimationFilmFest@gmail.com
]]>Dr. Meisha L. Shofner is an Associate Professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, joining the faculty following post-doctoral training at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and her Ph.D. in Materials Science from Rice University. Prior to beginning graduate school, she was employed as a design engineer at FMC in the Subsea Engineering Division, working at two plant locations (Houston, Texas and the Republic of Singapore), and she is a registered Professional Engineer in Georgia. At Georgia Tech, Dr. Shofner’s research group is concerned with structure-property relationships in polymer nanocomposite materials and with producing structural hierarchy in these materials for structural and functional applications. This research has been recognized by the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from Oak Ridge Associate Universities and the Solvay Advanced Polymers Young Faculty Award.
Dr. Shofner is a member of the APS, TMS, and ASME.
]]>U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson will provide the keynote address to kick off this cross-disciplinary, multi-industry symposium. Connect and learn from industry researchers, engineers, and technical experts at the cutting edge of renewable solutions. For the full agenda, see the related link, below
]]>Connect and learn from industry researchers, engineers, and technical experts at the cutting edge of renewable solutions. For the full agenda, see the related link, below
]]>Abstract: Cellulose based materials (wood, cotton, etc.) have been used by our society as engineering materials for thousands of years and their use continues today as verified by the enormity of the world wide industries in forest products, paper, textiles, packaging, etc. A new family of cellulose based particles (Cellulose Nanomaterials) with new functionality and performance are being developed to further expand the use of renewable materials in the ever widening consumer products base. Cellulose nanomaterials (CNs) are nanoparticles extracted from a wide variety of source materials (e.g. trees, plants, algae, bacteria). These fibril-like particles (3-50 nm wide, 50-2000+ nm long) have a unique combination of characteristics: high mechanical properties, low coefficient of thermal expansion, high aspect ratio, and low density. The exposed –OH side groups on CN surfaces can be readily modified to achieve different surface properties, and have been used to adjust CN self-assembly and dispersion within a wide range of suspensions and matrix polymers, and to control interfacial properties in composites (e.g. CN-CN and CN-matrix). Also, CNs can potentially be produced at industrial size quantities and at low costs, and preliminary tests have shown low environmental, health and safety issues. Research in CNs has grown rapidly in the last few years in an ever growing application space, including but not limited to: reinforcing fillers for polymers, cements, fibers, transparent films, flexible transparent displays, biomedical implants, drug delivery, barrier films, separation membranes, batteries, supercapacitors, sensors, etc.
This seminar will provide a general introduction to CNs, a review of the current state of art in CN research, and will describe some of the current CN research at GaTech.
Bio: Dr. Robert J. Moon is a Materials Research Engineer at the USDA Forest Service - Forest Products Laboratory, and is an Adjunct Professor in both the School of Materials Science and Engineering (at GaTech), and in the School of Materials Engineering (at Purdue University). Dr. Moon received a B.S. in Metallurgy from the University of Wisconsin (1994), a M.S. (1996) and PhD (2000) in Materials Engineering from Purdue University. He is currently stationed at, and is a member of, the Renewable Bioproducts Institute at GaTech. Dr. Moon is an expert in processing-structure-property relationships as they apply in various aspects of CN research, such as, nanocomposites, hybrid composites, recyclable solar cells, multi-scale modeling, characterization, etc. He is an internationally recognized researcher in CNs and is the chairman of the Technical Association for Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) Nanotechnology Division, a member of the organizing committee for the annual Technical Conference on Nanotechnology for Renewable Materials, a member of ISO standards development for CNs, and is active many other workshops and roadmap development.
Dr. Moon’s publication record can be found at:
Google scholar: http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=FD8YFDkAAAAJ&hl=en
ResearchGate:https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robert_Moon
]]>Bio: Professor Jeffrey P. 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 6 years.
Find out more at https://engineering.purdue.edu/MSE/People/Faculty/jpyoungb/index.html.
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The lecture will detail the group's efforts to characterize CN and CN composite mechanical and thermal properties and understand what factors dictate behavior. As well, its efforts at utilizing CN in a variety of application spaces will be detailed. Finally, he will provide new elements to understand the interconnection among preparation variables towards optimal CN materials design.
]]>By learning from nature and using bio-components, we can engineer high-performance materials with improved functionality. A thorough understanding of interfacial and mechanical properties is necessary to design polymer composites with enhanced compatibility between components and favorable material properties overall.
She will present the preparation and characterization of various cellulosic nanomaterials including cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) which are two different colloidal forms of cellulose that can be thought of as cellulosic “rice” and “spaghetti”, respectively. CNCs and CNFs shows great promise as composite components because of their unique optical and mechanical properties, light weight, low cost, biodegradability and non-toxicity. Potential applications of these materials include pigments, optical coatings, sensors, biomedical devices, gels, foams or more generally as a substitute for non-biodegradable thermoplastic composites. She will review some new water-based routes to functionalize cellulosic nanomaterials, leading to, for example cationic, hydrophobic and fluorescent CNCs. Soft nanocomposites including injectable hydrogels, cross-linked aerogels, polymer coatings and emulsions/foams will be discussed. Finally, a ‘tool-box’ of surface characterization techniques will be presented, highlighting colloidal probe atomic force microscopy (CP-AFM) and buckling-based mechanical measurements for thin film analysis.
Emily Cranston took up the position of Assistant Professor in Chemical Engineering at McMaster University in January 2011 where her research focuses on sustainable nanocomposites from cellulose. Her academic path began at McGill University where she received her Honours B.Sc. degree in Chemistry, specializing in Bio-Organic Chemistry. She then went on to graduate studies in the group of Professor Derek Gray at McGill University, obtaining a Ph.D. in Materials Chemistry (within the Pulp and Paper Research Centre). Her research at both the undergraduate and graduate level was focused on green chemistry and renewable materials, characterizing natural and synthetic biodegradable polymers and exploring the use of cellulose nanocrystals in model surfaces and novel cellulose composites. The study of value-added products from cellulose took her to Stockholm, Sweden (they also have a lot of trees!) as a postdoctoral researcher at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH). There she worked in two departments: Surface and Corrosion Science and Fibre and Polymer Technology. At McMaster, Emily teaches undergraduate courses on Technical Communication, Problem Solving and Polymer Science and a graduate course on Surface Characterization Techniques.
]]>This is the second year the Institute has hosted the event, a gathering Executive Director Norman Marsolan said is a rare opportunity to bring together the entire RBI family.
“There aren’t many opportunities for the students, faculty and staff to mingle together in this type of atmosphere,” he said. “This gives everyone an opportunity - before schedules get impossibly hectic - to spend a little time with one another. It’s also a great opportunity to welcome our new PSE students – 10 this year – to RBI.”
In addition to the food, two PSE students will be entered to win an iPad Mini.
Those planning to attend must RSVP by Aug. 12. Reservations can be made with Mary Williams at the reception desk in the Paper Tricentennial Building or by contacting her at mary.williams@rbi.gatech.edu or 404.894.5700.
Name badges must be worn for entry and can be picked up the reception desk the day of the event.
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In addition to the food, two PSE students will be entered to win an iPad Mini.
Those planning to attend must RSVP by Aug. 12. Reservations can be made with Mary Williams at the reception desk in the Paper Tricentennial Building or by contacting her at mary.williams@rbi.gatech.edu or 404.894.5700. Name badges must be worn for entry and can be picked up the reception desk the day of the event.
]]>The exhibit will open Friday, September 11 with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. and will run through Nov. 20.
Five artists will be featured sharing anecdotes, histories, observations and yarns woven using paper as their medium. Those participating are Douglas Baulos, Denise Bookwalter, Kerri Cushman, Lauren Faulkenberry and Lee Emma Running.
Suzanne Sawyer, guest curator, said the artists use paper as a medium, not to dictate who they are as artists, but because it engages them, and, in their incredibly talented hands, the paper begins to tell its story.
"Each artist recounts ideas uniquely, yet their work is united through the use of sculptural paper to communicate narratives as well as their pursuit of knowledge, meaning, and beauty. Whether using handmade or machine-made paper, by twisting, printing, cutting, or folding the paper among other techniques, the artists manipulate their narratives into fruition," she said. "The processes of creation become part of the narrative as the mark of the artists’ hands can be seen in these marvelous works. The exhibition includes artist’s books, installation, relief sculpture, sculpture in the round, and prints."
Ms. Running, one of the featured artist, was trained as a papermaker and sculptor. She now makes drawings and site-specific installations.
"I fell in love with handmade paper for it’s humility, it’s process, and it’s chameleon nature. The same fiber with different treatment can behave like fabric or leather, silk or fiberglass. This material opened a way of thinking for me as an artist," she said. "Papermaking taught me to innovate, and to pay close attention with all of my senses. I carry these ideas into my drawings and installations now."
For more information visit Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking online or contact Virginia Howell at 404.894.5726 or virginia.howell@rbi.gatech.edu.
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E. Johan Foster, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), will share his insights on how CNCs can be extracted from a wide range of natural cellulosic materials, with characteristics such as crystal structure, crystallinity and aspect ratio fluctuate widely between sources.
During the one-hour webinar he will discuss how small molecule functionalized cellulose is prepared for sustained delivery in a variety of environments. He’ll also describe how moieties attached to the surface of cellulose nanocrystals show that both irreversible and reversible changes can be induced by application of an external stimuli.
Learn more about this free webinar and register.
]]>The exhibit will open Friday, September 11 with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. and will run through Nov. 20.
Five artists will be featured sharing anecdotes, histories, observations and yarns woven using paper as their medium. Those participating are Douglas Baulos, Denise Bookwalter, Kerri Cushman, Lauren Faulkenberry and Lee Emma Running.
Suzanne Sawyer, guest curator, said the artists use paper as a medium, not to dictate who they are as artists, but because it engages them, and, in their incredibly talented hands, the paper begins to tell its story.
"Each artist recounts ideas uniquely, yet their work is united through the use of sculptural paper to communicate narratives as well as their pursuit of knowledge, meaning, and beauty. Whether using handmade or machine-made paper, by twisting, printing, cutting, or folding the paper among other techniques, the artists manipulate their narratives into fruition," she said. "The processes of creation become part of the narrative as the mark of the artists’ hands can be seen in these marvelous works. The exhibition includes artist’s books, installation, relief sculpture, sculpture in the round, and prints."
Ms. Running, one of the featured artist, was trained as a papermaker and sculptor. She now makes drawings and site-specific installations.
"I fell in love with handmade paper for it’s humility, it’s process, and it’s chameleon nature. The same fiber with different treatment can behave like fabric or leather, silk or fiberglass. This material opened a way of thinking for me as an artist," she said. "Papermaking taught me to innovate, and to pay close attention with all of my senses. I carry these ideas into my drawings and installations now."
For more information visit Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking online or contact Virginia Howell at 404.894.5726 or virginia.howell@rbi.gatech.edu.
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The seminar entitled, “A USDA Forest Service Perspective on Manufacturing with Cellulose Nanomaterials,” will be presented Monday, Nov. 2 from noon to 1 p.m. at the GTMI, Room 114, 813 Ferst Drive.
Currently with the Renewable Bioproducts Insistute, Dr. Moon an adjunct professesor, MSE, at both Purdue University (Indiana) and Georgia Tech, and a Materials Research Engineer with the USDA Forest Service - Forest Products Laboratory.
Dr. Moon is an expert in processing-structure-property relationships as they apply in various aspects of cellulose nanomaterial research, such as, nanocomposites, hybrid composites, recyclable solar cells, multi-scale modeling, characterization, etc. Moon is an internationally recognized researcher in cellulose materials and has been actively involved in the organization of annual Technical International Conference on Nanotechnology for Renewable Materials since 2008. To date in cellulose nanomaterials research he has over 25 peer reviewed journal publications (including 1 critical review), 5 patent applications, and is an editor of 1 book. His publication record can be found at google scholar. http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=FD8YFDkAAAAJ&hl=en
]]>The seminar will be held at 4:30 p.m. in room #114 of the Paper Tricentennial Buildling.
Nelson is the creator of API’s low-cost, versatile nanocellulose production process and is responsible for nanocellulose technology development and R&D, demonstration line installation, commercialization and partnerships. She was the lead inventor of API's BioPlus™ nanocellulose technology, U.S. Patent No. 9,187,865. Her previous roles at American Process include R&D management, Government Affairs and Environmental Quality and grant writing. She was formerly a pulp mill process engineer with MedWestvaco in Charleston, S.C. Nelson earned a Ph.D. in chemical engineering at Georgia Tech, a master’s degree from the Institute of Paper Science and Technology at Georgia Tech and a double bachelor’s degree in math and chemistry from Agnes Scott College.
American Process Inc. is an engineering consulting company serving the forest products industry. The company recently owns a patented cellulosic technologies, AVAP®. With AVAP® Biorefinery technology, American Process Inc. has developed a single, cost-effective IP protected process for production of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) along with novel, hydrophobic, lignin coated versions of each.
This event is sponsored by the Renewable Bioproducts Institute and the Georgia Tech TAPPI Student Chapter.
]]>The phrase “work on paper” is a known quantity. It brings to mind paper used as a material on which to be drawn, painted, or printed. At Dieu Donné, a nonprofit organization based in New York City, the emphasis is on works in paper, meaning that paper is not a substrate but rather is the medium itself. Using little more than fiber, pigments, water, and methyl cellulose (a natural adhesive), paper provides a multitude of unexpected possibilities as an artistic material, and artists and papermakers work together in the Dieu Donné studios to explore a seemingly limitless range of outcomes.
This exhibition brings together artwork created in the Dieu Donné studio by twenty artists who have participated in the organization’s prestigious residency programs. The artworks range from intimate two-dimensional studies to large sculptural works, all made from a form of paper pulp. The artists have varied practices outside of the residency but are united through their exploration of the possibilities of this versatile medium.
Artists whose work will be included are: Firelei Báez, Ian Cooper, David Kennedy Cutler, E.V. Day, Melvin Edwards, Natalie Frank, Jane Hammond, Jim Hodges, William Kentridge, Jon Kessler, Glenn Ligon, Suzanne McClelland, Arlene Shechet, Kate Shepherd, Molly Smith, Do Ho Suh, Mary Temple, Richard Tuttle, Ursula von Rydingsvard, and B. Wurtz.
The exhibition was organized by the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College and the exhibit tour organized by Dieu Donné, New York.
Free parking is available.
]]>virginia.howell@rbi.gatech.edu
404-894-5726
]]>Dr. Jeff Stevens, IP's director of Global Manufacturing Center of Excellence (Technology), will address both in a presentation Thursday, Sept. 22 at noon in Room 521, Paper Tricentennial Building. Pizza will be served at 11:45 a.m. Please RSVP by contacting chris.luettgen@rbi.gatech.edu.
The company is a leading global producer of renewable fiber-based packaging, pulp and paper products, with 53,000 employees operating in 24 countries.
Dr. Stevens is a Georgia Tech alum, receiving his bachelor's in ChE in 1992 and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering in 1998. He began his pulp and paper career at Bastrop, La., mill as a process engineer in the pulp mill in 1998 and worked in pulp, power, paper production and technical areas at Bastrop and other mills. He then spent seven years at Bowater corporation building new fiberline, converting paper machine from newsprint to LWC, optimizing the energy balance at the mill to eliminate fossil fuel use, optimizing the production capability of the mill.
In 2007, he returned to International Paper as pulp mill manager at Riegelwood mill and in 2011, became the manager, Technical Services for International Paper’s Industrial Packaging Mill System. In 2013, became the Mill Manager at the Franklin Mill.
In his current role with IP, he is responsible for all aspects of operational and manufacturing improvement efforts for International Paper.
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This exhibition brings together artwork created in the Dieu Donné studio by twenty artists who have participated in the organization’s prestigious residency programs. The artworks range from intimate two-dimensional studies to large sculptural works, all made from a form of paper pulp. The artists have varied practices outside of the residency but are united through their exploration of the possibilities of this versatile medium.
Artists whose work will be included are: Firelei Báez, Ian Cooper, David Kennedy Cutler, E.V. Day, Melvin Edwards, Natalie Frank, Jane Hammond, Jim Hodges, William Kentridge, Jon Kessler, Glenn Ligon, Suzanne McClelland, Arlene Shechet, Kate Shepherd, Molly Smith, Do Ho Suh, Mary Temple, Richard Tuttle, Ursula von Rydingsvard, and B. Wurtz.
Admission is free, donations are encouraged. The museum is open Monday-Friday, 9-5. The museum is closed all Georgia Tech holidays.
]]>virginia.howell@rbi.gatech.edu
404-894-5726
]]>“Reimagining Bioproducts Industries: New Ideas — New Opportunities,” will be held at the Paper Tricentennial Building, 500 10th St. NW, on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta.
The conference will focus on three strategic areas and will be led by RBI associate directors: Operational Excellence in Advanced Pulping, Paper & Packaging led by Chris Luettgen; The Future of Biocomposites and Nanocellulose led by Meisha Shofner; and New Opportunities in Biochemicals led by Matthew Realff. A full agenda can be seen here.
Keynote speakers will complement faculty and student presentations for each of these tracks—Soydan Ozcan, Oak Ridge National Lab, for biocomposites and nanocellulose; Gregg Beckham, National Renewable Energy Lab, for biochemicals; and John Rager, RISI, for pulp, paper and packaging. Beckham will also deliver the keynote address to open the conference.
Georgia Tech Executive Vice President for Research will discuss the Institute’s Innovation Ecosystem and the benefits of collaborations between GT and companies. Those benefits will further be explored Wednesday during the closing plenary session, with presentations by Norman Marsolan, executive director, RBI; Don McConnell, vice president, Office of Industry Collaboration, GT; Naresh Thadhani, chair of the School of Materials Science Engineering; and Sankar Nair, associate chair for Industry Outreach, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at GT.
The conference brings together thought leaders from a variety of companies and industries and connects them with faculty and students conducting research relevant to their businesses. Attendees hear the latest advancements in processing and application of renewable materials during these presentations and join extensive plenary discussions with their peers and colleagues.
The student poster competition allows for one-on-one interaction between company representative and some of the brightest young minds in cutting-edge research.
Three concurrent tracks, moderated by leading experts in their fields of research, will feature faculty presentations on current directions and opportunities. Afternoon workshops will follow, along with discussion regarding the practical application of these advances into a reimagined bioproducts arena.
“We’ve had a tremendous response this year, near record registration,” said Norman Marsolan, RBI executive director. “We believe the executives appreciate the format where they are free to choose the track most relevant to their business, hear in-depth reports on research in that area and then participate in a full afternoon of brainstorming and discussion on how it might positively impact their bottom line.”
“There are very few opportunities to experience this type of up-close interaction with those directing research. The ability to take advantage of and influence our endowment-sponsored student research is another distinction.”
RBI’s endowment sponsors about 42 Ph.D. students this academic year, and more than 40 are expected to participate in the annual poster competition. Students will also be featured speakers during the conference. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet these students, and discuss how their research could be valuable or made more relevant to their companies. Finally, the conference allows companies to influence the future research at RBI.
“During the discussion sessions, we listen to the input, and input has a direct impact on how we tailor our programs and future research projects to create opportunity for their business,” Marsolan said. “This is truly an open discussion between researchers and company leadership.”
For more information, visit the RBI conference site. Click hereto register today.
The Regency Suites-Midtown rooms available at a preferred rate for conference guests. To reserve your room, please call the hotel at 404.876.5003 and ask for the RBI conference rate. Many hotels in the Midtown area have Georgia Tech preferred rates. Please be sure to specify “Georgia Tech” when you call to make your reservation.
All events associated with the conference will be held at the Paper Tricentennial Building, 500 10th St. NW, on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta.
The Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI) at Georgia Tech builds on nearly a century of lignocellulosics research at Georgia Tech—one of the nation's leading public research universities and engineering schools. RBI is transforming products and processes with forest- and agriculture-based biochemicals and bioproducts to solve the challenges and create competitive advantages and opportunities for industry as it evolves in the bioeconomy.
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]]>Dr. La Scala is Associate for Science & Technology for Weapons and Materials Research Directorate of the Army Research Laboratory and works in the area of bio-based precursors for polymer composite materials and carbon fibers.
He received a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Virginia in 1997 and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware in 2002. He was a postdoctoral scientist at Drexel University before becoming an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education postdoctoral fellow at ARL in Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD in 2003. In 2005, he was hired as a federal employee at ARL, promoted to senior scientist in 2007, and appointed branch chief of the Coatings, Corrosion, and Engineered Polymers Branch in 2009.
Abstract
Polymer composite materials are derived from non-renewable petroleum sources, making their use unsustainable and causing their cost to be highly volatile. Furthermore, polymer composite materials often contain toxic components or produce toxic emissions. To address these issues, we have used plant-derived renewable resources to develop a number of polymer composite materials technologies with properties and performance similar to that of petroleum-derived composites. We formulated and developed fatty acid-based vinyl ester resins derived from plant oils and successfully demonstrated and validated them on weapons platforms across the DoD. We chemically modified lignin to produce lignin-based carbon fiber with the highest reported strength and modulus. We have been addressing toxicity issues associated with bisphenol, a component used in the production of many high performance polymers. Through use of polymers from lignin-derived chemicals, such as guaiacol, and carbohydrate-derived isosorbide and furans, we have created a number of polymers with properties similar or superior to that of commercial polymers. Furthermore, we have shown that these bio-based chemicals and polymers have reduced toxicity relative to the baseline commercial polymers. As a result, we are currently preparing diamines derived from carbohydrates and lignin to reduce the toxicity and improve the sustainability of polyimides and epoxies.