The ultimate goal of our research is to synthesize novel multi-functional materials and device novel fabrication techniques with a focus to extract superior material performance for a given application. Developing such advanced materials will often require the use of nanomaterials that offer exciting properties. Our research encompasses several components (i.e., synthesis, assembly, characterization, test method development, materials formulation/processing, etc.) designed to give students a very well rounded engineering background. Broadly speaking, the work carried out in colloids and nanocomposites research group is interdisciplinary and at the interface of materials and chemical engineering. The following research projects are currently being undertaken in the CNC research group

• Advanced Materials for EMI Shielding and Microwave Absorption: The Electromagnetic Interference can be described as a novel pollutant, which causes malfunctioning in the electronic devices due to wanted EM waves interacting with the device. One way to mitigate such an effect is by shielding the device from all unwanted waves. However, to be good shield, a material needs to have combinations of desirable properties such as high relative permittivity, permeability and conductivity. However, none of the conventional materials have a combination of all these properties, which marks the motivation of advanced materials (hybrid composites) in these applications. Our efforts in this direction are targeted to fundamentally understand the relative interplay between the material properties and its influence on microwave attenuation. The outcome from this research will be useful for applications such as radar absorbing materials and stealth technology.
• Design and development of inline sensor for water contamination detection: Water contamination is a growing threat to human survival. Especially, contamination of drinking water with toxic metals poses many risks. There are several filtration solutions to remove toxic metals from water, however, their detection, in real time is still not fully developed . The efforts in this research are focused on developing a "solid state" sensor capable of continuously detecting heavy metals presence in drinking water.
• Test Method Development for Releasable Formaldehyde from Artificial Leather Samples: Synthetic or artificial leather is a material used in applications where leather was traditionally used, driven by its low cost and ease of manufacturing. Artificial leather looks and feels much like natural leather, but is made on a fabric base rather than from animal skin. One of the major drawbacks of synthetic leather is the “plastic” type odor that emanates from newly made products. For example, the “new car smell” is often caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde, released from the synthetic leather upholstery. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified formaldehyde as a Group 1 carcinogen. For these reasons, tougher restrictions are being imposed on the free formaldehyde content that can come from synthetic leather fabrics by various countries. The motivation of this research is to develop a robust measurement strategy for determination of free formaldehyde in the artificial leather samples
• Development of microporous PVC films for synthetic leather application: Synthetic leather is used in a variety of applications such as, car seats, furniture, shoes, bags etc. The synthetic leather mimics the natural leather in all aesthetic aspects but fails to offer comfort levels similar to its natural counterpart. The research effort in this project is aimed at imparting air and water vapor transmissibility to synthetic leather.

We strongly encourage bright and "motivated" B.E/M.E/Ph.D. (Part time and Full Time) students to join the group for carrying out their projects. Please contact Dr. Krishna Etika for more details.