About

Professor Tamer Uyar leads the NanoFibTex Group and NanoFibers & NanoTextiles Laboratory at Cornell University within the Department of Human Centered Design, College of Human Ecology. His research group focuses on advanced studies in fiber science, nanotechnology, and materials science, particularly in the development and application of nanofibers and nanotextiles. The group welcomes highly motivated Ph.D., Master, undergraduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and visiting researchers to contribute to their innovative research projects. Professor Uyar's lab is engaged in interdisciplinary research that bridges fiber science with materials engineering and nanotechnology, fostering collaboration among students and researchers from diverse academic backgrounds. The group maintains a dynamic research environment with current and past members contributing to the advancement of knowledge in nanofibers and related materials.

Research topics

• Materials science
• Organic chemistry
• Composite material
• Chemistry
• Nuclear chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Nanotechnology
• Chemical engineering

Selected publications

• Room-Temperature Conformally Coated Cotton Fabrics for Integrated Textile Sensors

  ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces · 2026-04-08

  article

  In this work, cotton fabrics were conformally coated with ZnO layers via self-limiting atomic layer deposition (ALD) at substrate temperatures ranging from room temperature up to 120 °C. Structural analysis of coated samples revealed a dominant wurtzite h-ZnO (002) orientation, with grain size increasing from 8.1 to 11.3 nm, and dislocation density decreasing accordingly, as a function of deposition temperature from room temperature to 120 °C. SEM and EDX analyses confirmed that ZnO formed a uniform coating on the cotton fibers and that Zn was homogeneously distributed throughout the textile surface. Direct SEM thickness measurements indicate that the conformal ZnO coating on individual cotton fibers has an average thickness of approximately ∼55 nm. Furthermore, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the surface chemical composition and oxidation states of the films. The measured optical band gaps ranged from 3.18 to 3.28 eV, while Urbach energies decreased with increasing deposition temperature, indicating reduced defect density. Photodetector devices fabricated on ZnO-coated cotton exhibited strong UV photoresponse, with ON/OFF ratios increasing from 1.4 to 161 at 10 V bias, depending on deposition conditions. The highest ON/OFF ratio was observed for the device with thermally deposited ZnO at RT. Time-dependent I–V and I–t measurements confirmed repeatable photoresponse and stable operation under continuous illumination for extended durations. Furthermore, the textile-integrated photodetectors have demonstrated their suitability for flexible and wearable optoelectronic sensing applications by maintaining measurable photoresponse under cyclic bending, uniaxial tensile strain of up to 6%, and severe manual compression. These findings demonstrate the potential of low-temperature ALD-grown ZnO films for inherently integrated textile sensors.

  PublisherDOI

• Electrospun Gelatin Nanofibers Encapsulating Cyclodextrin–Eugenol and Cyclodextrin–Thymol Inclusion Complexes for Nutraceutical Delivery

  ACS Food Science & Technology · 2026-02-01

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Bioactive compounds such as eugenol and thymol offer significant health benefits but suffer from poor aqueous solubility and stability. To address these limitations, inclusion complexes (ICs) of eugenol and thymol with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) were prepared and subsequently encapsulated into fast-disintegrating gelatin nanofibers via electrospinning using an acetic acid/water solvent system. For comparative purposes, IC-loaded and CD-free gelatin films were also fabricated to evaluate structural and functional differences. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the production of uniform, bead-free submicron fibers. Structural analyses via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) verified successful complexation and homogeneous incorporation, while thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) demonstrated the enhanced thermal stability of the bioactive agents. 1H NMR analysis determined the complexation stoichiometry as ∼0.5:1 for eugenol and ∼0.7:1 for thymol systems. In terms of functional performance, nanofibrous mats demonstrated superior water solubility compared to films, with IC-loaded nanofibers reaching up to 87.7% solubility versus 56.4% for film formulations. Furthermore, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed that IC-loaded nanofibers offered significantly faster and higher release rates. While films exhibited a slower profile, nanofibers achieved burst release within 10 min, and the inclusion of CDs enhanced the release capacity by 2- to 3-fold compared to pure bioactive-loaded fibers. These quantitative comparisons confirm that electrospun gelatin nanofibers containing HP-β-CD ICs provide a robust platform for the rapid oral delivery of natural bioactives.

  PublisherDOI

• Antibacterial electrospun nanofibers for wound dressing applications

  Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering · 2025-07-26 · 1 citations

  reviewSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Green synthesis of hollow palladium oxide (PdO) nanoparticles using cyclodextrins for hydrogen evolution reactions (HER)

  Inorganic Chemistry Communications · 2025-07-02 · 1 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Waste Treats Waste: Upcycling Polyester Textile Waste into Nanofibrous Membranes with UiO-66 for Removal of Dyes

  ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering · 2025-08-18 · 5 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  This study introduces a method for converting polyester textile waste into metal–organic framework (MOF)/nanofibrous membrane (NFM) composites for dye removal from wastewater. Our approach repurposes polyester textile waste both as a source for linkers to synthesize UiO-66 and as a polymer feedstock for producing electrospun NFMs. The MOF synthesis on polyester NFMs occurs at room temperature using a water/ethanol solvent mixture, enabled by using an alkaline disodium terephthalate (Na2BDC) linker precursor sourced from depolymerized polyester textiles. To enhance MOF integration, the surface of the electrospun polyester NFMs was roughened via acetone treatment. The roughening treatment increased UiO-66 loading by ∼55%, resulting in a maximum methylene blue (MB) adsorption capacity of 70.8 mg/g. Additionally, the adsorbent exhibited satisfactory dye adsorption performance across five consecutive adsorption–desorption cycles. This work demonstrates a practical pathway for transforming polyester textile waste into MOF/NFM composites for dye pollutant removal from wastewater.

  PublisherDOI

• Removal of pharmaceutical micropollutants from aqueous environment by electrospun polycyclodextrin nanofibrous membrane

  Separation and Purification Technology · 2025-10-15 · 3 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Highly efficient and selective removal of cationic and anionic dyes from aqueous solutions by poly-cyclodextrin nanofibrous membranes

  Carbohydrate Polymers · 2025-12-24

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Recent developments in nanofiber-based fast-disintegrating drug delivery systems

  Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery · 2025-04-26 · 8 citations

  reviewSenior authorCorresponding

  INTRODUCTION: Fast-disintegrating electrospun fibers are emerging as innovative systems for oral drug delivery. These fibers possess a high surface area, porosity, and customizable hydrophilicity, which facilitates quick drug release by disintegrating rapidly in biological fluids or upon contact with water. AREAS COVERED: Hydrophilic polymers and cyclodextrins (CDs), either separately or in combination, are frequently utilized to accelerate the disintegration of electrospun fibers, enhance the solubility of hydrophobic drugs, and improve drug bioavailability, leading to better therapeutic outcomes. Toward this goal, a systematic literature search was conducted to identify experimental studies (2019-2025) in Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Scopus using the keywords ('fast-disintegrating' OR 'fast-dissolving') AND ('electrospinning' OR 'electrospun') AND ('delivery' OR 'release'). EXPERT OPINION: This review examines recent advancements over the past five years in the development of fast-disintegrating drug delivery fibers. It analyzes fiber composition, structural modifications, drug encapsulation routes, and their impact on drug release for oral mucosal delivery. Additionally, it addresses the challenges faced and outlines future directions in the field.

  PublisherDOI

• Highly Selective and Efficient Aerobic Epoxidation of Cyclooctene using Electrospun Co-doped Ceria Nanofiber Membranes

  Materials Today Catalysis · 2025-10-30

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Herein, we present the successful synthesis of Co doped Ceria nanofiber catalysts. The synthesized catalysts exhibit uniform distributions of monomodal pore sizes and demonstrate high catalytic activities for the epoxidation of cyclooctene with high selectivity for cyclooctene epoxide and cyclooctene conversion without using any hazardous sacrificial oxidizing agents. Notably, they achieve exceptional selectivity toward cyclooctene epoxide and substantial cyclooctene conversion under aerobic conditions without using any hazardous sacrificial oxidizing agents. Additionally, this epoxidation process is both economically favorable and environmentally friendly, owing to low catalyst loading, ease of catalyst separation, and excellent reusability, yielding a unique catalyst system compared to those previously reported in the literature. Characterization of the synthesized catalysts was carried out using various analytical techniques, including Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), Nitrogen (N 2 ) sorption studies, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These analyses provided a comprehensive understanding of the structural and chemical properties of the catalysts. Among the catalysts studied, the 5CoCe nanofiber catalyst (5 wt% Co-doped) exhibited the highest catalytic efficiency under aerobic conditions, achieving ≥99% selectivity for cyclooctene epoxide and 96% conversion of cyclooctene in the present study. • CoCe nanofibers with varying Co were synthesized for cyclooctene epoxidation. • Cyclooctene epoxidation occurred under aerobic conditions without using peroxides. • 5.0 wt% Co-doped Ce (5CoCe) exhibited the highest catalytic activity. • High epoxide selectivity (≥99%) and high cyclooctene conversion (96%) were achieved. • The catalyst displayed excellent reusability with no loss in activity or mesoporosity.

  PublisherDOI

• Electrospinning of sustainable polymers from biomass for active food packaging

  Sustainable Food Technology · 2024-01-01 · 44 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  This review outlines the latest developments in using electrospun materials derived from sustainable, biomass-sourced polymers for active food packaging applications.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Aslı Çelebioğlu

  New York State University College of Human Ecology

  231 shared

• Fuat Topuz

  Istanbul Technical University

  96 shared

• Zehra İrem Yıldız

  61 shared

• Bekir Satilmis

  Ahi Evran University

  57 shared

• Zeynep Aytaç

  Harvard University

  50 shared

• S. Anitha

  Manipal Academy of Higher Education

  50 shared

• Brabu Balusamy

  47 shared

• Turgay Tekinay

  Gazi University

  45 shared

Labs

• Uyar Research Group NanoFibers & NanoTextiles LabPI

Education

• Ph.D., Fiber & Polymer Science

  North Carolina State University

  2005

Awards & honors

• 2016 International Cyclodextrin Jozsef Szejtli Award
• 2014 TUBITAK Incentive Award
• 2012 Fiber Society Distinguished Achievement Award
• 2012 Turkish Academy of Sciences Outstanding Young Scientist…
• 2010 METU Prof. Dr. Mustafa Parlar Foundation Research Incen…