{"id":2798,"date":"2025-10-06T07:50:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T07:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/?p=2798"},"modified":"2025-10-06T07:52:05","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T07:52:05","slug":"impress-represented-by-trinity-college-dublin-at-the-americas-regional-meeting-of-the-polymer-processing-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/nn\/2025\/10\/06\/impress-represented-by-trinity-college-dublin-at-the-americas-regional-meeting-of-the-polymer-processing-society\/","title":{"rendered":"IMPRESS represented by Trinity College Dublin at the Americas Regional Meeting of the Polymer Processing Society"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Ramesh Babu Pdamati<\/strong> and <strong>Kona Mondal<\/strong> represented <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcd.ie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Trinity College Dublin<\/a> (TCD) and the IMPRESS project at the <a href=\"https:\/\/pps2025.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Americas Regional Meeting of the Polymer Processing Society<\/a> (PPS 2025), held <strong>from September 23 to 25, 2025<\/strong>, in <strong>Guelph<\/strong>, <strong>Ontario<\/strong>, <strong>Canada<\/strong>. The TCD delegation was immersed in a programme that foregrounded sustainability, circularity, and real-world impact across polymer science and engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As part of the technical programme, Kona Mondal delivered an oral presentation on work from the IMPRESS project: <strong><em>\u201cIntercalation of natural antifungal agents with Mg\u2013Al layered double hydroxide improving physicochemical properties of PLA-based composites.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> The talk outlined how embedding natural antifungal agents into Mg\u2013Al LDHs enhances the performance of PLA composites, boosting physicochemical stability and durability while adding bioactive antifungal functionality. The approach points to new opportunities in packaging and other applications of sustainable materials, where longer life, safer surfaces, and reduced waste are paramount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kona-Mondal-presenting-IMPRESS-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2799\" srcset=\"https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kona-Mondal-presenting-IMPRESS-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kona-Mondal-presenting-IMPRESS-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kona-Mondal-presenting-IMPRESS-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kona-Mondal-presenting-IMPRESS-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kona-Mondal-presenting-IMPRESS.jpg 2040w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout the event, both Kona and Ramesh engaged with global peers on topics shaping the field: <strong>biodegradable plastics<\/strong>, <strong>compostable films<\/strong>, and <strong>bio-based composites<\/strong> reinforced with agricultural residues; <strong>innovative recycling and upcycling<\/strong>, from chemical depolymerisation to compatibiliser-assisted blending; and <strong>healthcare innovations<\/strong> such as bioresorbable implants, smart wound dressings, and chitosan-based nanocomposites. Sessions on additive manufacturing (3D\/4D printing) highlighted next-generation, responsive composites, ranging from lightweight, cellulose-based EMI shielding to temperature-adaptive biocomposites, while digital innovation took centre stage with AI-driven materials design, machine learning for process optimisation, and advanced modelling tools to speed up translation from lab to market. Applications in packaging and mobility (including PFAS-free coatings, home-compostable films, and agro-fibre\u2013reinforced automotive parts) underlined a shared focus on performance with sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ramesh-Babu-and-Kona-Mondal-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ramesh-Babu-and-Kona-Mondal-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ramesh-Babu-and-Kona-Mondal-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ramesh-Babu-and-Kona-Mondal-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ramesh-Babu-and-Kona-Mondal-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ramesh-Babu-and-Kona-Mondal.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most energising moments for the TCD team was the <strong>Poster Session<\/strong>, where early-career researchers and students showcased inventive, carefully executed projects across sustainable composites, advanced recycling, biomedical applications, and smart materials. The TCD representatives contributed to the session\u2019s success as part of the judging effort and by offering constructive feedback, noting the impressive creativity and rigour on display. By the end, Kona and Ramesh left Guelph with <strong>new connections<\/strong>, <strong>sharper insights<\/strong>, and <strong>actionable ideas<\/strong>, reinforcing how <strong>today\u2019s polymer research<\/strong> is not only raising performance but also <strong>enabling a more circular, resilient, and environmentally responsible future<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-background\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The article and photos were provided by Kona Mondal, Trinity College Dublin.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ramesh Babu Padamati and Kona Mondal represented Trinity College Dublin and the IMPRESS project at the Americas Regional Meeting of the Polymer Processing Society, held from September 24 to 26, 2025, in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":17,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[96,14,24,94,95,16,93],"class_list":["post-2798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-circularity","tag-impress","tag-partner-updates","tag-polymer-processing-society","tag-polymer-science","tag-sustainability","tag-trinity-college-dublin"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/nn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/nn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/nn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/nn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/nn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2798"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/nn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2798\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2802,"href":"https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/nn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2798\/revisions\/2802"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/nn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/nn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/nn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impress-he.eu\/nn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}