1. Polymer - Nanomaterials Composite Systems
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Transparent Conducting Polymers: ITO (Indium doped tin oxide) is the workhorse for electronic applications where optical transparency and electronic conductance are key (solar cells, LEDs, etc). Graphene based transparent polymers are gaining significant attention too. We are developing polymeric materials (not ITO or graphene based) that show excellent electronic conductance as well as are optically transparent. Our materials are significantly cheaper and more robust than the contemporary materials used.
Figure: Our transparent conducting polymer in ambient light (left). The same image darkened digitally for better clarity of the transparent conducting polymer film.
2. Composite Catalysts
- We are developing polymer embedded catalysts that respond to external stimuli - mostly mechanical strain and polarity driven catalytic activities. And then there is the question about catalytic networks - can catalysts talk to other catalysts?
3. Nanofabrication of composite systems
- We are exploiting our in-situ reduction strategy to generate new device fabrication techniques which cater to micro and nanometer scale fabrication technologies.
Figure: Photoresist - nanoparticle composites were patterened on glass substrates using common photolithography techniques. The modular nature of the deposition technology allows us to control nanoparticle density, nanoparticle size and the composition of the composite layer. Scale bar is 100 micrometres
4. QD-Biopolymer composites
- Quantum Dots have unique optical and electronic properties that can enhance (very significantly, in some cases) the functions of the parent materials. We have developed a versatile strategy to synthesize and incorporate QDs into biopolymers to enhance electronic / optical / mechanical properties of the biopolymers.
Figure: HR-TEM image of our well dispersed, stable, aqueous dispersion of gold quantum dots.
