From the Sector

The global buildings and infrastructure (B&I) market for composite materials accelerates toward a projected value of more than $21 billion in 2025. To identify further business potentials for the composite industry, AZL Aachen GmbH has announced a new inte rnational Joint Market and Technology Study: “Next Generation Composites in Buildings & Infrastructure – A 2026 Global Outlook on Growth, Sustainability, and Digitalization.”

Building on the success of AZL’s landmark Buildings & Infrastructure study – conducted in 2017 with 32 global companies – this new initiative will reassess established applications and quantify emerging opportunities across markets, materials, and manufact uring technologies. The addressed market segments comprise following, among others: residential/ non -residential buildings and city furniture, infrastructure for energy supply/ water supply/electricity and heat supply and storage as well as special constr uctions like airports, ports or train stations.

Based on this preliminary work in which 438 attractive products/ applications/ technologies have been identified and analyzed, this new study will re -evaluate previously identified core applications using fresh 2025 market data, updated growth forecasts, and new competitive benchmarking. Furthermore, AZL will identify and quantify new growth potentials driven by sustainability (circular economy, LCA -driven mat erial choice, bio -composites), by digitalization (e.g., integration with BIM, sensor -equipped "smart" components) and by new applications (e.g., hydrogen infrastructure, modular data centers, etc.).

The 9 -month project will deliver a structured market segmentation, technology and value -chain mapping, application screenings, technology trees, fact sheets, comparative KPI matrices, and expert workshops – providing participants with a practical foundatio n for business development, investment strategy, and innovation planning. Results will be delivered in a comprehensive final report and presentation package. Additionally, the results from the former 2017 B&I study will also be made available in the new st udy together with the final report and will be used as a basis for discussion and reflection on the results in the course of the new market and technology study. 

Participation is open to material suppliers, processors, equipment manufacturers, engineering service providers, system integrators and construction companies across the entire value chain. The project kick -off meeting is on February 26th 2026 (online).

Call for Participants: Companies aiming to shape the future of composite solutions in buildings and infrastructure are invited to join the consortium.
For further information or to secure participation: Philipp Fröhlig, Head of Industrial Services Email: philipp.froehlig@azl-aachen-gmbh.de

Autoneum today announced it repays in full its 1.125% fixed-rate bond due December 8, 2025, with a nominal value of CHF 100 million. The Swiss franc public bond was issued in 2017 and served, among other purposes, to finance the company’s medium-term growth.

Autoneum repaid the bond using existing credit lines on favorable terms. The repayment reflects a sustainable reduction of the company’s net debt over recent years, driven by significant free cash flow generation.

“With the repayment of this bond, we reaffirm our financial solidity and our clear commitment to further reducing debt in the future,” says Bernhard Wiehl, CFO Autoneum. “We thank our bond investors for their long-standing trust in Autoneum.”

The development of sustainable plastic solutions is rapidly gaining importance in light of global environmental pollution, dwindling fossil resources and ambitious climate protection targets. As part of the regional alliance RUBIO, which brings together 18 partners from central Germany and the Berlin-Brandenburg area, the bio-based and biodegradable plastic polybutylene succinate (PBS) was comprehensively investigated, starting with the raw material, through the manufacturing process, to industrial application. The aim was to evaluate the potential of PBS as an environmentally friendly alternative to polyethylene and to create the technological basis for new sustainable value chains. As a partner in the alliance, STFI was able to demonstrate that the bioplastic PBS is suitable for textile processing using the example of a net for straw bales. 

The starting point: bioplastics sought as a substitute for PE
Increasing reports of macro and microplastics everywhere on earth, the finite nature of fossil re-sources, EU climate protection targets, and the call for CO2 reduction compel all stakeholders, especially the plastics industry, to act promptly. Bio-based and simultaneously biodegradable plastics ap-pear to be valuable raw materials for many applications, ranging from the packaging industry to the textile sector and agriculture. The aim of this project was comprehensive investigation of polybutylene succinate (PBS) from raw material to its industrial applicability. In order to qualify the biopolymer as a substitute for polyethylene (PE), its material properties were tested and evaluated with regard to their suitability for a wide range of applications.

The textile processing of the bioplastic PBS
During project work, STFI main task was to explore opportunities and limits of technological processing of PBS materials (resins, film, nonwoven fabric, ribbons) into textile end products. Investigations were carried out on processing behavior of resins to nonwoven fabrics, followed by cutting processes into narrow ribbons, as well as studies on cutting and stretching PBS films and resins into ribbons. Subsequently, these ribbons were used to produce surfaces on knitting and weaving ma-chines. As a result, nonwoven fabrics, ribbons, and textile structures are available, which will be further optimized in subsequent projects. It has been possible to develop a knitted straw bale net that meets the requirements regarding mechanical properties of DLG (German Agricultural Society) for novel bio-based plastics.

Success and outlook
The results include spunbonded fabrics, ribbons and textile structures. A knitted straw bale net has been successfully developed that meets the requirements of the DLG (German Agricultural Society) for innovative bio-based plastics in terms of mechanical properties. 

The focus for the future is on optimising textile production processes for the bioplastic PBS. The RUBIO2Value project was launched in December and will focus on applications such as injection-moulded reusable packaging, textiles and geotextiles, but also disposable packaging in upcoming studies by the consortium. At STFI, established textile processes are being converted to sustainable and renewable raw materials in order to use recycled or biodegradable materials for sustainable production.

Imagine a road cyclist or downhill skier whose clothing adapts to their wind speed, allowing them to shave time just by pulling or stretching the fabric.

Such cutting-edge textiles are within reach, thanks to researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). Led by SEAS mechanical engineering graduate student David Farrell, a study published in Advanced Materials describes a new type of textile that uses dimpling to adjust its aerodynamic properties while worn on the body. The research has potential to change not only high-speed sports, but also industries like aerospace, maritime, and civil engineering.

The research is a collaboration between the labs of Katia Bertoldi, the William and Ami Kuan Danoff Professor of Applied Mechanics, and Conor J. Walsh, the Paul A. Maeder Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences.  

On-demand golf ball dimples
Farrell, whose research interests lie at the intersection of fluid dynamics and artificially engineered materials, or metamaterials, led the creation of a unique textile that forms dimples on its surface when stretched, even when tightly fitted around a person’s body. The fabrics utilize the same aerodynamic principles as a golf ball, whose dimpled surface causes a ball to fly further by using turbulence to reduce drag. Because the fabric is soft and elastic, it can move and stretch to change the size and shape of the dimples on demand.  

Adjusting dimple sizes can make the fabric perform better in certain wind speeds by reducing drag by up to 20%, according to the researchers’ experiments using a wind tunnel.

“By performing 3,000 simulations, we were able to explore thousands of dimpling patterns,” Farrell said. “We were able to tune how big the dimple is, as well as its form. When we put these patterns back in the wind tunnel, we find that certain patterns and dimples are optimized for specific wind-speed regions.”

Farrell and team used a laser cutter and heat press to create a dual-toned fabric made of a stiffer black woven material, similar to a backpack strap, and a gray softer knit that’s flexible and comfortable. Using a two-step manufacturing process, they cut patterns into the woven fabric and sealed it together with the knit layer to form a textile composite. Experimenting with multiple flat samples patterned in lattices like squares and hexagons, they systematically explored how different tessellations affect the mechanical response of each textile material.

Lattice pattern
The textile composite’s on-demand dimpling is the result of a lattice pattern that Bertoldi and others have previously explored for its unusual properties. Stretch a traditional textile onto the body, and it will smooth out and tighten. “Our textile composite breaks that rule,” Farrell explained. “The unique lattice pattern allows the textile to expand around the arm rather than clamp down.

“We’re using this unique property that [Bertoldi] and others have explored for the last 10 years in metamaterials, and we’re putting it into wearables in a way that no one’s really seen before,” Farrell said. 

The paper was co-authored by Connor M. McCann and Antonio Elia Forte. The research had federal support from the National Science Foundation under award No. DMR-2011754. The Harvard Office of Technology Development has safeguarded the innovations associated with this research and is exploring commercial opportunities.

Ultrafiltration membranes used in pharmaceutical manufacturing and other industrial processes have long relied on separating molecules by size. Now, Cornell researchers have created porous materials that filter molecules by their chemical makeup.

Two molecules of identical size and weight but different chemistry, such as antibodies with distinct molecular structure, are difficult to separate using current ultrafiltration (UF) membrane technology. But in a study published Nov. 13 in Nature Communications, researchers find that blending chemically distinct block copolymer micelles – tiny self-assembling polymer spheres – could be applied to making membranes capable of filtering molecules by chemical affinity.

Scanning electron microscopy image (left) shows the surface of a porous asymmetric UF membrane created at Cornell by mixing chemically distinct block copolymer micelles. Machine-learning segmentation (right) identified patterns formed by different micelle types and chemistries, revealing how the approach could lead to UF membranes that sort by chemical affinity.

“This is the first real pathway to creating UF membranes with chemically diverse pore surfaces,” said Ulrich Wiesner, the Spencer T. Olin Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and the study’s senior author. “In principle, post-fabrication processes may achieve this, but the cost would be prohibitive for industry to adopt it. This new approach could truly revolutionize ultrafiltration.”

Taking inspiration from nature – such as protein channels in cells that can distinguish between similar-sized metal ions using pore wall chemistry – lead author Lilly Tsaur, Ph.D. ’24, of the Wiesner group, explored how neutral and repulsive interactions among micelles influence their self-assembly within the top separation layer. By combining up to three distinct block copolymers, the team demonstrated how these competing interactions control where different chemistries appear in the pores of the film’s surface.

“While in principle this is a really simple idea, in practice, developing this experimentally is really difficult,” said Wiesner, also a professor in the Department of Design Tech. “In particular, identifying where the different micelle chemistries are located in the top separation layer is nontrivial.”

Using scanning electron microscopy, Tsaur imaged hundreds of samples to study how the different micelles arranged themselves. Because imaging could not easily identify the chemistries, she used machine learning to detect subtle differences in pore patterns to identify where each micelle type appeared.

Co-author Fernando A. Escobedo, the Samuel W. and M. Diane Bodman Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (Cornell Engineering), ran molecular simulations to help reveal rules that govern how the micelles self-organize – a challenge due to the large number of micelles and their tendency to assemble into states relatively far from equilibrium.

“This necessitated the use of highly coarse-grained models and numerous calibrations to capture the time and length scales involved in the experimental process,” said Escobedo, who conducted the research with Luis Nieves-Rosado, Ph.D. ’25.

The study builds on the Wiesner group’s previous advances in block copolymer self-assembly that led to the founding of Terapore Technologies, a startup company led by Rachel Dorin, Ph.D. ’13, that uses the group’s scalable block copolymer process to make cost-effective UF membranes that separate viruses from biopharmaceuticals. The new research paves the way for companies to use the same manufacturing process to produce membranes that can perform affinity separations based on programming pore surface chemistry.

“Companies simply want to change the recipe, the ‘magic dust,’ that goes into the same process they’ve been using for decades in order to give membranes chemically diverse pore surfaces,” Wiesner said. “Our method has the potential to lead to a paradigm shift in UF-based operations, and to open a whole new avenue for how to use UF membranes.”

Beyond filtration, the research could lead to new materials with novel properties for applications such as smart coatings that respond to their environment and biosensors that detect specific molecules. Wiesner’s group is continuing the work and developing methods to probe deeper into the top separation layer of these materials to see how the chemical patterns extend below the surface.

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and was enabled by the Cornell Materials Research Science and Engineering Center and the Cornell Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility.

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc., a leader in spider silk technology*, announced that it is fulfilling an order for spider silk from a globally recognized performance sports apparel brand as part of a confidential pilot development program.
 
This project will incorporate the company’s  next-generation recombinant spider silk into a cutting-edge application targeted at the highest tier of performance apparel. While specific project details remain protected, Kraig Labs can confirm that the program is designed for one of the most demanding and innovation-focused segments of the athletic market.
 
This customer's market leadership, engineering sophistication, and reputation for excellence in performance apparel made them the ideal choice for this initial pilot engagement. Their market leadership and commitment to innovation is the reason Kraig Labs selected to fulfill this request from among the numerous recent inbound inquiries it received.
 
The Company is now processing a portion of its recombinant spider silk inventory into yarns tailored to the precise specifications provided by the customer's development team. Delivery of these specialized materials is expected before the end of the first quarter.
 
As a focused pilot program, this order calls for a small, purpose-built quantity of spider silk designed explicitly for this highly specialized application. Even at this limited scale, the project provides a powerful platform for demonstrating the performance capabilities and commercial potential of the Company's specialized spider silk technology within a premier performance environment.
 
"This collaboration underscores the growing recognition of our material's potential in high-value, high-performance applications," said Kim Thompson, Kraig Labs’ Founder and CEO. "We are excited to support this project and a customer whose commitment to innovation aligns with our own. We look forward to showcasing what our spider silk can deliver at the elite level of apparel design and performance."