BPI Seminar by Dr. Mehdi Tajvidi
December 4, 2025, 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm
In Search for the Third B: Cellulose Nanomaterials in Binder and Barrier Applications
LOCATION: CHBE #202, Chemical & Biological Engineering Building at 2360 East Mall Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4
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Agenda
- 3:30 PM Introduction - Dr. Johan Foster
- 3:35 PM Featured Presentation - Dr. Mehdi Tajvidi, Professor of Renewable Nanomaterials, School of Forest Resources and Advanced Structures and Composites Center, University of Maine, USA
- 4:15 PM Q&A
- 4:30 PM Closing
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Abstract
Among many current and potential applications of cellulose nanomaterials (CNMs) and in particular cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs), the Laboratory of Renewable Nanomaterials (LRN) at the University of Maine is focusing on two; binder and barrier. With strong ties to traditional wood based composites and pulp and paper industry, the LRN has developed technologies to benefit these two sectors from fundamental research up to industrial trials. This talk will tell the story of how the two seemingly unrelated applications can be used in one product providing added value to forest-based feedstock. Current and planned developments will be discussed.
About the Speaker
Mehdi Tajvidi joined UMaine School of Forest Resources and Advanced Structures and Composites Center in September 2013. Starting his scientific career at Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, WI in 2001 working on dynamic mechanical analysis of wood plastic composites, Mehdi later joined the faculty of University of Tehran’s Department of Wood and Paper Science and Technology before moving to the University Tokyo in 2007 and University of Waterloo in 2011. Mehdi’s areas of research interest are production, characterization and performance evaluation of renewable nanomaterials and their composites. He is particularly interested in mechanical properties of nano-materials and nanocomposites, structure-processing-property relationships, viscoelastic behavior, dynamic mechanical analysis and magnetic cellulose nanocomposites. Mehdi’s core research area at UMaine is focused on utilization of cellulose nanomaterials in high volume applications such as coatings, packaging and building products. To date, Mehdi has published over 180 papers in peer-reviewed journals, presented over 80 presentations at international conferences and advised/co-advised over 80 graduate students and postdocs.