Materic’s team to partner with Coppin’s Center for Nanotechnology to drive new smart fibers to market
February 21, 2022, Baltimore, MD – Coppin State University and Materic, LLC have announced the launch of a joint development effort to develop pressure responsive fibers for use in smart garments.
Materic and Coppin intend to develop commercially relevant fibers that change their electrical resistance when strained. These piezoresistive fibers can enable the rapidly developing smart garment industry, which is expected to reach $
well as respond to the environment by changing properties, such as breathability.
This new effort will be spearheaded by Dr. Jamal Uddin, Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Center for Nanotechnology at Coppin, and Materic’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. Stephen Farias.
Baltimore-based Materic is a global leader in the production technologies of nanofibers and nanowires. Coppin’s Center for Nanotechnology has state-of-the-art analytical equipment and researchers with decades of nanotechnology experience.
“The researchers at Coppin are world-class in their expertise in nanotechnology,” said Dr. Farias. “They will be key to helping us understand how to tailor our products to meet the needs of the smart garment industry.”
To kick off the partnership, Coppin was awarded a Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) grant of $90,000 and an additional $10,000 from Materic subsidiary, DiPole Materials. Coppin faculty and student researchers will use Materic’s equipment to produce new materials and test those materials at Coppin.
“The ability to access industrial equipment will not only advance our research capabilities but is also a terrific learning opportunity for our students,” said Dr. Uddin.
To further the partnership, Materic has created a scholarship program for their employees to enter the Masters in Polymer and Material Sciences degree program at Coppin. Materic also now offers paid internships to Coppin students enrolled in that program, as well as mentoring opportunities for students who need assistance with their thesis projects.
“We were thrilled to learn that Coppin launched a MS in Polymer and Material Sciences,” said Ken Malone, CEO of Materic. “There are no other programs like this in Maryland, so we’ve had to go out of state to hire key employees. Once we reached out to Coppin to learn more about the MS program, we quickly discovered that they were capable of world-class research in the related areas of nanotechnology.”
About Materic:
Based in Baltimore, MD, Materic custom designs and manufactures advanced materials. We apply our expertise in electrospinning, nanoparticle separation, textile treatments, 3D printing materials, specialty inks and microencapsulation to our own product lines as well as taking on custom manufacturing projects for our customers. Learn more: www.matericgroup.com
About Coppin State University:
Coppin State University, a Historically Black Institution in a dynamic urban setting, serves a multi-generational student population and provides education opportunities while promoting lifelong learning. The university fosters leadership, social responsibility, civic and community engagement, cultural diversity and inclusion, and economic development. A four-year public institution in the University System of Maryland offers baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees including majors in Business, Nursing, Criminal Justice, Social Work, and the Sciences. The department of Natural Sciences and the Center for Nanotechnology are in the campus’s LEED gold certified Science and Technology Building on West North Avenue. Learn more: www.coppin.edu
About the Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) Program:
The Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program is an initiative of the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) in the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland. MIPS leverages the resources of Maryland’s public universities to bolster the state’s economy by bringing faculty and students into collaboration with companies to develop new technology products and processes. To do this, MIPS offers grants, matched by participating companies, to fund the faculty research portion of each collaborative project. By helping to develop new technologies that in turn enable companies to expand, MIPS projects generate new technology-based jobs and grow the Maryland economy. Learn more: www.mips.umd.edu
Media Contact:
Coppin State University
Angela Galeano, Chief of Staff
4140-951-3931
agaleano@coppin.edu
Media Contact:
Materic
Ken Berlack
ken.berlack@earlycharm.com
