Ramona Nolden and Leon Blanckart receive the sponsorship award of the Wilhelm Lorch Foundation for their outstanding work at the faculty.
The textile raw material from water
Leon Blanckart developed a new textile application from algae in his Bachelor's thesis.
Algae have gained significantly in image in recent years. Whereas they used to be regarded mainly as a nuisance that interfered with swimming fun on the Adriatic, the protein-rich plants have now become an important foodstuff. As a raw material for textiles, however, they are hardly known so far. That could change, thanks to Leon Blanckart. In his Bachelor's thesis at the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology at the Hochschule Niederrhein, he has shown that algae can be used to make textile products ranging from yarn to fabric.
The freshwater algae Blanckart used convinced in various application tests, proving to be "as robust as it is flexible," he explains. Blanckart is currently completing his master's degree, also in Mönchengladbach. In his master's thesis, he would like to take the topic of "textiles from algae" further, in cooperation with the Institute of Plant Sciences and Microbiology at the University of Hamburg, among others.
When textiles help with recovery
Ramona Nolden has developed functional sequins and sinkers for smart textiles
Smart textiles are Ramona Nolden's big topic. She wrote both her bachelor's and master's theses in this research field. She is currently planning her doctorate - which will also deal with smart textiles.
In her Bachelor's thesis, she developed a smart glove with a textile bending sensor and applied LED sequins that could be used for the rehab of rheumatism patients. For this work, she was awarded the 2018 Senate Prize of the Hochschule Niederrhein. Her master's thesis was also about a smart and practical orientation product. Nolden developed flexible and functional sequins and sinkers that can be automated using embroidery technology and integrated into smart textiles.
