Research Interests

Nanostructured Carbon based Electrodes for Electrochemical Energy Storage
Development of carbon based materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems such as Batteries, Supercapacitors and Fuel Cells.

Advanced Materials for Renewable Energy Technologies
Nanotubes, nanowires, nanopillars, and nanostructured sheets which are under consideration as electrodes for advanced energy generation, storage, and conversion devices.

Artificial Polymer Nanodielectrics
Development of polymer nanodielectric materials for flexible electronics and energy storage solutions. These are artificial metal embedded polymer nanomaterials with high volumetric efficiency and suitable for high energy density high capacitance rating.

Advanced Thin Film Dielectrics for Energy Storage Capacitors
Development of a dual use thin film capacitor technology that can sustain operation at extreme temperatures cycling.

NanoEnergetic Materials Technology                                                                                         Development of energetic materials built at the nanoscale and creation of test procedures to evaluate the ignition performance. These are core-shell nanoparticles and nanowires and which have potential applications as explosive and propellants.

Field Emissive Cold Cathode Technology
Development of field emissive electron sources based on thin film and nanotubes materials. It is expected that these electron sources will lead to advanced communication systems, high temperature sensors, and a significant improvement in the performance of electric ion space-thrusters.

Nitride Materials and Heterostructures
Development of BN-CN-TiN-TaN thin films –based structures for high temperature applications in microelectronics (MIS, LEDs, and detectors), micro-power devices (high frequency switching power supplies), and passive hard coatings for tribological applications.

Research Capabilities

Energy Storage
      1.    Formulation of CNT/graphene based electrodes for Li-Ion batteries.

2.    Solid state Gel-like electrolytes for Li-Ion Batteries.

3.   Supercapacitor materials made of metal nanoparticles–oxide core-shell structure embedded in polymers.

Energy Conversion:

1.    Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂-NP) and thin films for photo-catalytic activities.

2.    Polymers - doped TiO₂-NP for efficient photovoltaic absorption.

 

NanoEnergetics

1.    Formation and processing of functionalized Al nanoparticles fuel.

2.  Functionalization of Al-Al₂O₃ core-shell nanoparticles for covalent binding with prospective  oxidizers such as like Bi₂O₃ or I₂O₅.

 

CNT-Nanocomposites

1.    Fabrication of percolative and coated CNT-Polymer nanocomposites.

2.    Fabrication of highly dispersed CNT and/or graphene based polymer nanocomposites.

3.    Functionalization of CNTs and graphene platelets.

 

Materials Synthesis

1.    Carbon nanotubes (CNTs).

2.    Production of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) by high energy milling technique.

3.    Wet chemistry synthesis of core-shell based metal nanoparticles.

4.    Thin films formulation by spin-coating techniques.

 

This film growth

1. Boron nitride, carbon nitride, titanium/tantalum nitride using ion assisted physical vapor deposition techniques (ion source, electron cyclotron source, neutral beam).

2.   Low temperature SiO₂ deposition using Plasma Enhanced CVD.

 

Devices Fabrication & Characterization

1.    Supercapacitors.

2.    Batteries.

3.    Pressure sensors.

4.    Broadband and narrowband microwave resonators.

 

Modeling/simulation

1.    FEM Analysis.

2.    Large scale multi-physics coupling simulation.