Nano-BioMaterials Laboratory for
Energy Energetics & Environment
ENERGY:
Major bottlenecks in harvesting electrochemical and solar energy as carbon-neutral and sustainable energy sources remain in the development of new catalytic materials that can sustain the energy conversion efficiency in advanced fuel cells and photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells while maintaining their long-term stability, durability, and economic viability. Our research addresses these long-standing challenges through advanced syntheses and characterizations of novel nanomaterials as electrocatalysts and photocatalysts for fuel cell and PEC cell applications. Additionally, we borrow our learnings from natural photosynthetic systems through fundamental understanding of the assembly of Photosystem I (PS I), the photosynthetic membrane protein complex, with both soft (organic) and hard (inorganic) matter systems. In turn, such bio-hybrid systems can be suitably interfaced with photocatalysts for solar fuel conversions via “artificial photosynthesis” in advanced bio-PEC cells. In future, we aim to extend our research into wider classes of nanomaterials as thermoelectric and photovoltaic materials to tap into other renewable energy sources.
ENERGETICS:
Energetic nanomaterials demonstrate enhanced combustive property and reactivity due to their ability to engage in highly exothermic thermite reactions that result in extremely high rates of heat release. Such materials find application in the development of new kinds of solid propellants, explosives and pyrotechnics in the expanding defense and aerospace industries. Specifically, the bridging states of metal nanoparticles between atomic and bulk materials allow them to exhibit an excess of pyrophoric behavior due to the large surface area-to-volume ratios, enhanced diffusion rates, and excess heats of reaction. We seek to develop new classes of energetic nano-materials through fundamental understanding of the interfacial and morphological properties of metal/intermetallic heteronanostructures and their compositions with the goal of tailoring their enhanced reactive properties. In doing so, we carry out systematic theoretical and experimental studies to investigate the physical (size, shape, crystallinity, architecture) and chemical (composition, thermodynamics, reaction kinetics) characteristics of these energetic nano-materials for either enhanced combustion or, controlled passivation.
ENVIRONMENT:
Carbonaceous aerosols and bio-aerosols from rapid industrialization and increased automotive vehicles or, from natural pollens and spores are ubiquitous in the atmosphere. These particulate matters might not be environmentally benign, and can be bio-hazardous and detrimental to human health due to their deeper penetration into the human body. Apart from that, toxic bio-aerosols can also be artificially disseminated in the event of bio-terrorism and bio-warfare. Our research focusses on advanced laser spectroscopic techniques (namely, LIBS) for rapid detection and analysis of ambient carbon-bearing and bio-aerosols. In future, we aim to extend the LIBS technique towards chemical characterization of complex biological samples. On the other hand, rapid expansion of nanotechnology in our everyday life, that include cosmetics, drugs, paints etc., promises technological benefits to the society at the cost of human and environmental exposure to engineered nanomaterials that may have significant adverse effects. In fact, relatively little is known regarding the detrimental or advantageous interactions of NPs with complex biological environments. Primary interactions of NPs with biological system being through the cell membranes (CMs) in eukaryotes, we seek to investigate the effect of physicochemical properties of the NPs (e.g. composition, size, shape, charge, surface roughness/smoothness, and surface chemistry) on their interactions with physiological macromolecules in the form of bio-mimetic lipid membranes.