ICNF2015, the 2^nd international conference on natural fibres that is due to take place in Azores, Portugal, in April next year, has extended the ongoing call for abstracts until 15 November, in response to multiple requests from the conference participants.

Selected papers will be published by Hindawi in a special issue of Conference Papers In Materials Science and in a special issue of Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy. 

The conference will also feature Natural Fibrenamics Award 2015, a showcase of the latest innovations in the field of natural fibres, as well as the Best Poster Award that will be included in this edition in recognition of the most outstanding posters of the conference.

Keynote speakers 

Keynote speakers at the conference will include Prof Juan Hinestroza, Cornell University, NY, USA, who will discuss Teaching Cotton New Tricks via Manipulation of Nanoscale Phenomena.

Prof Aart W. van Vuure, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, will look at the topic of Natural bio-composites: research highlights on the performance of bamboo, flax and hemp fibres.

Prof Qi Zhou, BIOMIME, Swedish Center for Biomimetic Fiber Engineering, Sweden, will present on Biomimetics applied to fiber-based materials and products.

Invited speakers

The list of invited speakers includes:

• Prof Orlando Rojas, Aalto University, Finland, and NC State University, USA, Nanocelluloses: Natural Fiber Deconstruction and (Re)Essemblage to Engineer New Materials.
• Prof Xungai Wang, Deakin University, Australia, The Magic of Wild Silk Fibres and Structures.
• Prof Garry Carrasco, Paper and Fiber Research Institute, Norway, Nanocellulose-based biocomposites for wound healing applications.
• Prof Mário de Araújo, University of Minho, Portugal, Fibre Science: understanding how it works and speculating on its future.
• Dilip Tambyrajah, International National Fiber Organization, Netherlands, A Value Chain and Cluster Approach: The Key to Accelerating Natural Fibre Composite Market Development.

www.icnf2015.com