Thermoset polymers form the backbone of technologies such as wind turbines, aircraft, drones and electric vehicles. However, their high energy demands and limited recyclability are raising concerns about long‑term sustainability. Addressing this challenge is Nancy Sottos, NAE, Ph.D., head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. She delivered the keynote address for the Hulings Distinguished Lecture Series hosted last month by The University of Tulsa’s College of Engineering & Computer Science.
“We are working on ways to make manufacturing of polymer composites more efficient and more sustainable,” Sottos said. “Many of the composites that are used in things like sporting goods, wind turbine blades and both commercial aircraft and military aircraft are very large structures, but they have no end-of-life strategy.”
She explained that thermoset polymers differ from single‑use plastics such as straws and cutlery, making reuse a far more complex problem. Components made from these materials typically remain in service for 20 to 30 years, after which they are often sent to landfills. Sottos and her research team are developing approaches to recycle these materials at the molecular level, enabling true material recovery rather than disposal.
Her lecture highlighted emerging strategies for low‑energy, closed‑loop manufacturing that rethink the entire life cycle of high‑performance polymer composites. While the use of recycled thermoset polymers in large structures like commercial aircraft may still be years away, Sottos noted that smaller-scale applications, such as personal watercraft, could be realistic early adopters.
Although this was Sottos’ first visit to Tulsa, her professional connections to the College of Engineering & Computer Science run deep. Over the course of her career, she has collaborated with James R. Sorem Inaugural Dean Andreas A. Polycarpou and Mechanical Engineering Department Chair John Henshaw. She has also worked with several UTulsa alumni who pursued graduate study at the University of Illinois, including Michael Keller, now professor of mechanical engineering and associate dean of ECS.
Sottos shared that one of the most rewarding aspects of her work is mentoring undergraduates in research. At UTulsa, students have opportunities to engage in meaningful research from the beginning of their academic careers. Through programs such as the Tulsa Undergraduate Research Challenge, undergraduates conduct impactful work under the guidance of distinguished faculty mentors.
The Hulings Distinguished Lecture Series was established in 2003 in honor of Norman M. Hulings (B.S. ’49) and his family’s connection to The University of Tulsa. The Hulings endowment allows the College of Engineering & Computer Science to invite nationally recognized engineers, scientists and researchers to present lectures of interest to students and faculty.