Nayomi Z. Plaza, PhD

Treesearch Publications

• Oswaldo Erazo, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Carl J. Houtman, Ronald C. Sabo. 2026. Tracking the structural evolution of cellulose nanocrystal suspensions via small angle light scattering
• Jing Geng, Carlos Baez, Peter Kitin, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Xiao Zhang, Brock Lundberg, Junyong Zhu. 2026. Barrier coating of bananas using plant cellulose and edible lemon peel fibrils to extend shelf-life
• Junyong Zhu, Nicole M. Stark, Peter Kitin, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Jenna Zukswert. 2026. Cellulose-Based Barrier Coatings for Fruit: Using Hardwood Pulp to Reduce Food Waste
• Nayomi Z. Plaza, Katie M. Ohno, Joseph Jakes, James B. O'Sullivan, Lin Yang. 2025. Probing nanoscale protection mechanisms with x-rays and neutrons
• Kayla Guyer, Michael Machold, Xiaoyan Tang, Nathan J. Bechle, Junyong Zhu, Biljana Bujanovic, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Peter Kitin, Kevin T. Turner, John M. Considine. 2025. Microfibrillated cellulose coatings for biodegradable electronics
• Jing Geng, Nicole M. Stark, Peter Kitin, Xiao Zhang, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Junyong Zhu. 2025. Incorporating carboxymethyl cellulose into microfibrillated cellulose for barrier coating to delay banana browning and extend shelf life
• Aleesha Nabhai, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Nathan J. Bechle, Said Abubakr, Mert Atihan, James Springstead, Qingliu Wu, Kecheng Li, Jinghao Li. 2025. Engineering biomass-derived CO₂ capture materials via hydrothermal processes
• Xavier Arzola-Villegas, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Nathan J. Bechle, Yikai Wang, Roderic Lakes, Donald S. Stone, Joseph Jakes. 2025. Moisture-Dependent Transverse Isotropic Elastic Constants of Wood S2 Secondary Cell Wall Layers Determined Using Nanoindentation
• Nayomi Z. Plaza, Sai Venkatesh Pingali, Magdalena Broda. 2025. The effect of organosilicon compounds on the nanostructure of waterlogged archeological oak studied by neutron and X-ray scattering
• Heikko Kallakas, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Casey Crooks, Derek Turner, Mathew Gargulak, Matthew A. Arvanitis, Charles R. Frihart, Christopher G. Hunt. 2024. Effect of Protein Surface Hydrophobicity and Surface Amines on Soy Adhesive Strength
• Magdalena Broda, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Joseph Jakes, Carlos Baez, Sai Venkatesh Pingali, Wim Bras. 2024. Effect of alkali treatment and fungal degradation on the nanostructure and cellulose arrangement in Scots pine cell walls – A neutron and X-ray scattering study
• Nayomi Z. Plaza, Laura Hasburgh, Lin Yang, Nathan J. Bechle. 2024. Nanostructural cell wall changes due to thermal degradation in wood
• Oswaldo Erazo, Joseph Jakes, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Judith Vergara-Figueroa, Paulina Valenzuela, William Gacitúa. 2023. Quasistatic and Dynamic Nanoindentation Measurements of Pinus radiata D. Don S2 and CCML Cell Wall Layers
• Laura Hasburgh, Nathan J. Bechle, Nayomi Z. Plaza. 2023. Two proof-of-concept, nontraditional density measurement techniques for partially charred wood
• Nayomi Z. Plaza, Sai Venkatesh Pingali, Rebecca E. Ibach. 2022. Nanostructural Changes Correlated to Decay Resistance of Chemically Modified Wood Fibers
• Rebecca E. Ibach, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Sai Venkatesh. Pingali. 2022. Small Angle Neutron Scattering Reveals Wood Nanostructural Features in Decay Resistant Chemically Modified Wood
• Nayomi Z. Plaza, Rebecca E. Ibach, Sai Venkatesh Pingali. 2021. Probing the nanostructural mechanisms behind decay resistance of chemically modified wood using small angle neutron scattering
• Nayomi Z. Plaza, Rebecca E. Ibach, Laura Hasburgh, Michael Taylor. 2021. Using Thermal Neutron Imaging in Forest Products Research
• Laura Hasburgh, Donald S. Stone, Samuel L. Zelinka, Nayomi Z. Plaza. 2020. Characterization of wood chemical changes caused by pyrolysis during flaming combustion using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
• Yuan Zhu, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Yuka Kojima, Makoto Yoshida, Jiwei Zhang, Jody Jellison, Sai Venkatesh Pingali, Hugh O’Neill, Barry Goodell. 2020. Nanostructural analysis of enzymatic and non-enzymatic brown rot fungal deconstruction of the lignocellulose cell wall
• Xavier Arzola-Villegas, Roderic Lakes, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Joseph Jakes. 2019. Wood moisture-induced swelling at the cellular scale—Ab Intra
• Charles R. Frihart, Christopher G. Hunt, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Joseph Jakes. 2019. Adhesive-wood interactions in relation to failure in bonded wood products from the centimeter to nanometer scale
• Nayomi Z. Plaza. 2019. On the experimental assessment of the molecular-scale interactions between wood and water
• Rebecca E. Ibach, Nayomi Z. Plaza. 2019. Using x-ray scattering to elucidate the mechanisms behind the moisture and fungal decay resistance of epoxybutene modified wood
• Joseph Jakes, Charles R. Frihart, Christopher G. Hunt, Daniel J. Yelle, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Linda F. Lorenz, Daniel J. Ching. 2018. Integrating multiscale studies of adhesive penetration into wood
• Nayomi Z. Plaza, Joseph Jakes, Charles R. Frihart, Christopher G. Hunt, Daniel J. Yelle, Linda F. Lorenz, William T. Heller, Sai Venkatesh Pingali, Donald S. Stone. 2017. Small-angle neutron scattering as a new tool to evaluate moisture-induced swelling in the nanostructure of chemically modified wood cell walls
• Joseph Jakes, Charles R. Frihart, Christopher G. Hunt, Daniel J. Yelle, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Linda F. Lorenz, Daniel J. Ching. 2017. Integrating multi-scale studies of adhesive penetration into wood
• Nayomi Z. Plaza, Joseph Jakes, Charles R. Frihart, Christopher G. Hunt, Daniel J. Yelle, Linda F. Lorenz. 2017. Small angle neutron scattering as a new tool to evaluate moisture-induced swelling in the nanostructure of chemically modified wood cell walls
• Nayomi Z. Plaza. 2017. Neutron scattering studies of nano-scale wood-water interactions
• Joseph Jakes, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Xavier Arzola Villegas, Charles R. Frihart. 2017. Improved understanding of moisture effects on outdoor wood–adhesive bondlines
• Nayomi Z. Plaza, Sai Venkatesh Pingali, Shuo Qian, William T. Heller, Joseph Jakes. 2016. Informing the improvement of forest products durability using small angle neutron scattering
• Joseph Jakes, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Samuel L. Zelinka, Donald S. Stone, Sophie-Charlotte Gleber, Stefan Vogt. 2014. Wood as inspiration for new stimuli-responsive structures and materials

• Project
  

  Understanding Protein Behavior for Bio-Based Wood Adhesives and Forest Products

  https://research.fs.usda.gov/fpl/projects/bio-based-adhesives
  Station

  Forest Products Laboratory

Articles

• Article
  

  Cellulose-based barrier coatings for fruit: Using hardwood pulp to reduce food waste

  https://research.fs.usda.gov/fpl/articles/cellulose-based-barrier-coatings-fruit-using-hardwood-pulp-reduce-food-waste-0

Multimedia

• Webinars

  SCIENCEx Forest Products Week: Smaller than a Woodchip

  https://research.fs.usda.gov/products/multimedia/webinars/sciencex-forest-products-week-smaller-woodchip

• University of Wisconsin - Madison, Ph.D., Materials Science, 2017
• University of Wisconsin-Madison, M.S., Materials Science, 2015
• University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez, B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 2011