As a professor at the School of Human Ecology, I directed the Textile Science specialization graduate degree within the school’s Design Studies program and engaged students in the Materials Science graduate program. My research and teaching areas included chemical properties and structures of textile fibers, plasma modifications of materials, recycling of polymeric materials, sustainability, textile flammability, wettability, dyeing, finishing, and identification of historic dyes.
I am the author or co-author of more than 75 scientific papers, and I hold three patents in the area of plasma processing of polymeric materials and plasma technology. I have consulted for textile and related industries, state procurement offices, and judicial systems on issues such as wettability, dyeability, flammability, and minimum specifications for carpet and other textile materials, including carpet specifications for the Los Angeles Community College District, which serves more than 220,000 students and had a building budget of $5.7 billion at the time. This work earned “best practices” recognition from professional publications. My Sustainable Carpet Project saved more than $40 million for the state of California on one contract alone and received 16 high-profile awards, including from the governor of California, the California State Senate and State Assembly, the mayor of Los Angeles, the U.S. Senate, and Congress.
Selected Publications
Aumnate, C., Rudolph, N., & Sarmadi, M. (2019). Recycling of Polypropylene/Polyethylene Blends: Effect of Chain Structure on the Crystallization Behaviors. Polymers, 11(9), 1456. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11091456
Aumnate, C., Spsicker, C., Kiesel, R., Sarmadi, M., & Rudolph, N. (2016). Recycling of PP/LDPE Blend: Miscibility, Thermal Properties, Rheological Behavior and Crystal Structure. Society of Plastics Engineers ANTEC, 81-88.
Sarmadi, M. (2016). Farmlands for Plastics, Textiles, Dyes or Food: Are Bio-Based Materials Really Sustainable? Society of Plastics Engineers ANTEC, 1723-1729.
For a full list of publications, see Sarmadi’s CV.
Featured Media
- UW News, UW experts design masks for campus from scratch
- Spectrum News 1, Pantone announces Color of the Year: Yellow and grey
- Wisconsin Public Radio, Masks 101: How to choose and care for them
- Daily American, Lawmaker proposing adding pink as option for hunters
- Wisconsin Public Radio, What’s in our shoes and clothes?
See Also
- Patents
- Denes, F., Manolache, S., Sarmadi, M., Young, R., Ganapathy, R., & Martinez-Gomez, A. (2002). Process for Intercalation of Spacer Molecules Between Substrates and Active Biomolecules (U.S. Patent No. 6,402,899). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/6402899 (Purchased by Industry 2013)
- Denes, F., Sarmadi, M., & Sandberg, R. (2000). Sealing Roller System for Surface Treatment Gas Reactors (U.S. Patent No. 6,082,292). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/6082292 (Purchased by Industry 2013)
- Denes, F., Manolache, S., Sarmadi, M., Young, R., Ganapathy, R., & Martinez-Gomez, A. (1999). Cold-Plasma Enhanced Functionalization of Organic and Inorganic Polymeric Substrates for Molecular Recognition and Molecular Manufacturing (Biotechnological) Application (P99131US).

Department
- Design Studies
Affiliations
Education
- PhD, Textile Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
- MS, Textile Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
- BS, Textile Engineering, Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science
Contact
Email: majidsar@wisc.edu
Websites: