His current research is in the areas of Fiber Reinforced Composites and Green Materials and Processes. In composites, the primary focus of his research group is to develop environment-friendly resins from sustainable sources such as plant-derived proteins and starches and use plant based reinforcements to engineer ‘Green Composites’ with desired properties. While carbon-neutral green composites can be engineered to have properties comparable to conventional petroleum-based composites, unlike conventional composites that end up in landfills, green composites are biodegradable and can be composted at the end of their life. Netravali group has also developed Advanced Green Composites with high strength and toughness that may be used in some structural or ballistic applications, Toughened Green Composites and Self-healing Green Composites that can autonomously repair themselves and Fire Resistant Green Composites. The second focus of his group is modification of fiber surfaces to control fiber/resin interface characteristics in composites. His research group has used many techniques including polymerizing and non-polymerizing plasmas, pulsed excimer laser, high power ion beam, solvent treatments, etc., to modify fiber surface chemistry and topography to control their adhesion to resins and, thus, to control the composite properties. A third focus of his group is developing green chemical processes to obtain functional properties in cotton and wool fibers and fabrics. His group has developed several green technologies to obtain hydrophobic, ultra-hydrophobic and anti-wrinkle cotton fabrics as well as treatments for hair stabilization and enhancing wool fiber strength.