Bio
Dr. Caitlyn Clarkson is an associate staff scientist in the Sustainable Manufacturing Technologies Group at ORNL's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility. In the SMT Group, she supports the biomaterial development program under the SM2ART Collaborative Partnership (formerly known as the Hub&Spoke) between the University of Maine and Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Circular Economy Portfolio led by Dr. Matthew Korey and Dr. Peter Wang.
Her research at ORNL comprises the development of sustainable material feedstocks and the integration of these materials into advanced manufacturing processes. Her research in bio-based materials is in the development of natural fiber-reinforced composites and hybrid composites, as well as the formulation of bio-based composite feedstock for the material extrusion process known as large-format additive manufacturing (LFAM). Dr. Clarkson's research is also working on the development of circular economies for unwanted, high-volume waste streams: post-consumer recycling (PCR) and automotive shredder residue (ASR). Her work supports the creation of composite feedstocks for applications in LFAM, automotive, and more. Her expertise is in polymeric material development and characterization techniques.
Her research interests include: use of recycled and bio-based materials and novel supply chain development; material extrusion processes like LFAM or direct ink writing (DIW); self-assembly of small molecules and block copolymers; nanomaterials; reactive extrusion; compatibilization; hybrid composites; crystallization and crystallization kinetics in thermoplastic polymers.
Professional Experience
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, R&D Associate Staff Scientist, in the Sustainable Manufacutring Technologies Group
- Spring 2022 - Current
- Air Force Research Laboratory, National Research Council (NRC) Postdoctoral Fellow
- Spring 2020 - Spring 2022
- Purdue University, Materials Engineering, PhD Candidate and Graduate Student in the Youngblood Research Group
- Fall 2015 - Fall 2020
- Sandia National Laboratory, Organic Materials, Undergraduate and Graduate Intern
- Fall. 2013- Summer 2015
- New Mexico Tech, Materials Engineering,Undergraduate and Graduate Research Student in the McCoy Research Group
- Fall 2010-Spring 2015
Awards
- National Research Council (NRC) Postdoctoral Fellow Award, 2020
- TMS (DMMM3) Diversity Conference Travel Award, 2018
- TMS Student Congressional Visit Travel Award, 2018
- NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Trainee (IGERT- Sustainable Electronics (IGERT) Fellowship, 2016
- NSF Graduate (GRFP) Fellowship Honorable Mention, 2016
- Purdue Doctoral (2yr) Fellowship, 2015
Education
- Purdue University, Materials Engineering, PhD
- Fall 2015 - Fall 2020
- New Mexico Tech, Materials Engineering, B.S./M.S.
- Fall 2010-Spring 2015
Professional Affiliations
- Technical Association of the Pulp & Paper Industry- Nano Division, TAPPI Nano
- Society of Plastics Engineers, SPE
- Materials Research Society, MRS
Trademarks and Patents
Youngblood, J.P.; Clarkson, C.M.; Nuruddin, M.D. 2018. Method for Dispersion of Nanocellulose in Melt-Processed Polymers. U.S. Patent Application 62739369, filed October 2018. Patent Awarded 2021.
Publications
Other Publications
Select Technical Publications In...
Nanocellulose and its composites
- Clarkson, C.M.; El Awad Azrak, S. M.; Forti, E.S.; Schueneman, G.T.; Moon, R.J.; Youngblood, J.P Recent Developments in Cellulose Nanomaterials Composites. Advanced Materials 2020, DOI: 10.1002/adma.202000718
- Clarkson, C.M.; El AwadAzrak, S.; Chowdhury, R.; Shuvo, S.N.; Synder, J.; Schueneman, G.; Ortalan, V.; Youngblood, J.P. Melt Spinning of Cellulose Nanofibril/Poly(lactic acid) Composite Fibers for High Stiffness. ACS Applied Polymer Materials 2019, 1 (2) 166-168. DOI: 10.1021/acsapm.8b00030
- Chowdhury, R.A.; Clarkson, C.; Apalangya, V.A.; Naeemul Islam, S.M.; Youngblood, J.P. Roll-to-roll of cellulose nanocrystal-poly(vinyl alcohol) composite coatings with controlled anisotropy. Cellulose 2018, 25 (11), 6547-6560. DOI: 10.1007/s10570-018-2019-
- K, Li; Clarkson, C.M.; Wang, L; Liu, Y; Lamm, M; Pang, Z; Zhou, Y; Qian, J;Tajvidi, M.; Gardner, J.; Tekinalp, H.; Li, T.; Ragauska, A.; Youngblood, J.P.; Ozcan, S. Alignment of Cellulose Nanofibers: Harnessing Nanoscale Properties to Macroscale Benefits. ACS Nano 2021, DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c07613
Other Articles in Preceramic Polymers, Direct Ink Writing, and Epoxy
- Clarkson, C.M.; Costakis, W.; Abbott, A.; Schlup, A....Dickerson, Matthew, B.; Koerner, H. Additive Manufacturing of Carbon/Carbon (C/C): Direct Ink Writing of Phenolic Carbon Fiber Composite Inks. Submitted September 2020
- Ackley, B.; Martin, K.; Key, T.; Clarkson, CM.; Bowen, J....Dickerson, M. Advances in the Synthesis of Preceramic Polymers for the Formation of Silicon-Based and Ultrahigh-Temperature Non-oxide Ceramics 2023 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00381
- Clarkson, C. M.; Mccoy, J. D.; Kropka, J. M. Enthalpy Recovery and Its Relation to Shear Response in an Amine Cured DGEBA Epoxy. Polymer. 2016, 94, 19–30. DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2016.03.095