University of Colorado Students Win BASF Science Competition
SOUTHFIELD, MI – Four students from University of Colorado - Boulder won the third annual BASF science competition, held at the company’s coatings headquarters in Southfield, Michigan. The challenge for this year’s competition was to create a superior finish on carbon fiber composites.
Lightweight carbon fiber is used in vehicles to improve fuel efficiency. It is difficult to coat because when carbon fiber composites are heated and cooled, ridges form on the surface. The winning team, representing the Chemistry and Biochemistry; Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering; and Materials and Science Engineering departments at the university, used their combined expertise to solve the challenge by adding a nanomaterial.