While interning at Folia Materials, I took on multiple projects. Primarily, I coated different samples to be sent to clients, performed post-treatment analysis, developed testing procedures, and researched properties of silver nanoparticles to explore new products. Folia Materials focuses currently on the antibacterial properties of those nanoparticles and uses patented chemistry to bind them to paper substrates. From there, the coated rolls of paper are currently used for medical face masks and water filters. My time spent on the testing procedures and post-treatment analysis was essential to guarantee high-quality products, especially since they would be going to our clients and directly affecting their sanitary conditions. Some of the properties to be tested included the color, thickness, and silver loading of our coated papers. Additionally, I implemented methods to test the water turbidity post-filtration, which would help the Bangladesh section with quality control. Finally, some of my research was necessary for Folia Materials to partner with large companies and explore new products using their patented chemistry.

As a chemical engineer, we have to take many laboratory courses, in particular, Organic Chemistry Lab. As my day-to-day work at Folia Materials involved handling chemical species for the coating of samples, prior experience with most of the glassware, equipment, and safety procedures was invaluable. Understanding the hazards presented by certain chemicals, the ideal glassware to be used, and the proper personal protective equipment necessary not only saved time when running the experiments but also allowed me to make sure both my coworkers and I weren’t putting ourselves at risk. Experience from my design courses also helped me brainstorm new ideas and come up with a total of 18 suggestions on how to improve the current process. For example, I suggested a simple apparatus to facilitate in-lab paper coating and even made a model on the computer in order to 3D-print the piece. My Chemical Engineering Lab and time spent during undergraduate research also helped me improve the spreadsheet documents used at Folia Materials and even suggest new software to facilitate graphing of experimental data.

Although I have experience working in labs, this was my first time working with paper products. This brought forth some additional challenges, for example, you have to be particularly careful when squeezing the samples and removing excess solution since paper can be creased. Additionally, paper absorbs humidity in the room, therefore some tasks had to be done in a very rapid manner in order to avoid or even quantify this effect. Some tasks were physically intensive like when it came to rewrapping samples, storing large rolls, sorting hundreds of facemasks, and visually detecting when a secchi mark is visible through a transparency tube, which is to say the exact moment when the water is truly becoming clear. Some tasks, however, were challenging my understanding of the process, and sometimes even chemical engineering as a whole. In particular, learning about the different coating techniques, equipment, and abbreviations in the industry or coming up on the “advances in spirocyclization of indole derivatives” when researching new nanoparticle properties was not easy to deal with. Thankfully, I had a very knowledgeable manager when it came to coating processes and another fellow’s help when it came to the hardest of challenges.

One of the key takeaways I had from Folia Materials was its organizational structure. I want to eventually open my own chemical engineering-related company, therefore, understanding how to run one and the measures necessary for it to grow are of utmost importance to me. Even though it is a small company, there were clear sections with different functions. Personally, I was in the materials section focusing on coating the samples, but there was also an engineering section tasked with developing new gadgets to make our work easier. I also learned a lot about receiving funding and collaborating with large companies in order to develop new products. It amazed me how we were dealing with paper, and through our chemistry, we were not only turning it into an antibacterial product, but also kept on searching and finding new ways to use this patented formula. Work at Folia Materials covers both R&D and manufacturing aspects which really helped me understand what I enjoy in the field, particularly thanks to a trip to an industrial coating faculty. Finally, I improved a lot of documentation techniques, my standard operating procedure writing, and of course chemical analyses toolkit, such as using X-ray diffraction guns, which might be useful in my future career.