Publications by authors named "Dharneedar Ravichandran"

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, holds immense potential for rapid prototyping and customized production of functional health-related devices. With advancements in polymer chemistry and biomedical engineering, polymeric biomaterials have become integral to 3D-printed biomedical applications. However, there still exists a bottleneck in the compatibility of polymeric biomaterials with different 3D printing methods, as well as intrinsic challenges such as limited printing resolution and rates.

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This paper presents a scalable and straightforward technique for the immediate patterning of liquid metal/polymer composites via multiphase 3D printing. Capitalizing on the polymer's capacity to confine liquid metal (LM) into diverse patterns. The interplay between distinctive fluidic properties of liquid metal and its self-passivating oxide layer within an oxidative environment ensures a resilient interface with the polymer matrix.

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Coal, a crucial natural resource traditionally employed for generating carbon-rich materials and powering global industries, has faced escalating scrutiny due to its adverse environmental impacts outweighing its utility in the contemporary world. In response to the worldwide shift toward sustainability, the United States alone has witnessed an approximate 50% reduction in coal consumption. Nevertheless, the ample availability of coal has spurred interest in identifying alternative sustainable applications.

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Plastics' long degradation time and their role in adding millions of metric tons of plastic waste to our oceans annually present an acute environmental challenge. Handling end-of-life waste from wind turbine blades (WTBs) is equally pressing. Currently, WTB waste often finds its way into landfills, emphasizing the need for recycling and sustainable solutions.

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Anaerobic succinate fermentations can achieve high-titer, high-yield performance while fixing CO through the reductive branch of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. To provide the needed CO, conventional media is supplemented with significant (up to 60 g/L) bicarbonate (HCO), and/or carbonate (CO) salts. However, producing these salts from CO and natural ores is thermodynamically unfavorable and, thus, energetically costly, which reduces the overall sustainability of the process.

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Nanoparticles form long-range micropatterns via self-assembly or directed self-assembly with superior mechanical, electrical, optical, magnetic, chemical, and other functional properties for broad applications, such as structural supports, thermal exchangers, optoelectronics, microelectronics, and robotics. The precisely defined particle assembly at the nanoscale with simultaneously scalable patterning at the microscale is indispensable for enabling functionality and improving the performance of devices. This article provides a comprehensive review of nanoparticle assembly formed primarily via the balance of forces at the nanoscale (e.

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Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have significantly impacted the daily lives, finding broad applications in various industries such as consumer electronics, electric vehicles, medical devices, aerospace, and power tools. However, they still face issues (i.e.

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Efficient recycling of crosslinked polyethylene has been challenging due to manufacturing difficulties caused by chemical crosslinking. This study focuses on simple processing via solid waste powder generation and particle fining for the subsequent crosslinked polyethylene inclusion and dispersion in rigid polyurethane foam. In addition, the concentration effects of crosslinked polyethylene in polyurethane were studied, showing a well-controlled foam microstructure with uniform pores, retained strength, better thermal degradation resistance, and, more importantly, increased thermal capabilities.

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Article Synopsis
  • Nanoparticles (NPs) are tiny materials (1-100 nm) that come in various shapes and sizes but often clump together, making it difficult to utilize their full potential in various applications.
  • The paper discusses how three-dimensional printing (3DP), a technique that builds objects layer by layer, can help align and organize NPs for better performance in fields like mechanics, energy, and biomedicine.
  • It also explores different 3DP methods—like material jetting and ink writing—that facilitate nanoparticle alignment and reviews some challenges (like low resolution and slow printing speed) that need to be addressed to improve the effectiveness of these technologies.
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3D printing (additive manufacturing (AM)) has enormous potential for rapid tooling and mass production due to its design flexibility and significant reduction of the timeline from design to manufacturing. The current state-of-the-art in 3D printing focuses on material manufacturability and engineering applications. However, there still exists the bottleneck of low printing resolution and processing rates, especially when nanomaterials need tailorable orders at different scales.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study explores a new 3D printing method for aligning and placing 2D MXene nanoparticles on flexible surfaces, aimed at enhancing their applications in tech fields like health monitoring and robotics.
  • It combines two innovative techniques: microcontinuous liquid interface production (μCLIP) for designing surface patterns and capillarity-driven direct ink writing (DIW) for aligning the nanoparticles.
  • The resulting printed devices have improved properties, such as enhanced conductivity and sensitivity, showcasing the method's potential for efficient and cost-effective production of complex structures.
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Titanium dioxide (TiO) is a promising photocatalyst that possesses a redox potential suitable for environmental remediation applications. A low photocatalytic yield and high cost have thus far limited the commercial adoption of TiO-based fixed-bed reactors. One solution is to engineer the physical geometry or chemical composition of the substrate to overcome these limitations.

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Here reported is the layer-by-layer-based advanced manufacturing that yields a simple, novel, and cost-effective technique for generating selective nanoparticle deposition and orientation in the form of well-controlled patterns. The surface roughness of the three-dimensionally printed patterns and the solid-liquid-air contact line, as well as the nanoparticle interactions in dipped suspensions, determine the carbon nanofiber (CNF) alignment, while the presence of triangular grooves supports the pinning of the meniscus, resulting in a configuration consisting of alternating CNF and polymer channels. The polymer/nanoparticle composites show 10 times lower resistance along with the particle alignment direction than the randomly distributed CNF networks and 6 orders of magnitude lower than that along the transverse direction.

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Polystyrene (PS) polymers have broad applications in protective packaging for food shipping, containers, lids, bottles, trays, tumblers, disposable cutlery and the making of models. Currently, most PS products, such as foams, are not accepted for recycling due to a low density in the porous structure. This poses a challenge for logistics as well as creating a lack of incentive to invest in high-value products.

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Hierarchically microstructured tri-axial poly(vinyl alcohol)/graphene nanoplatelet (PVA/GNP) composite fibers were fabricated using a dry-jet wet spinning technique. The composites with distinct PVA/GNPs/PVA phases led to highly oriented and evenly distributed graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) as a result of molecular chain-assisted interfacial exfoliation. With a concentration of 3.

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