A key parametric study of ultrasonic exfoliation of 2D TiB using DI water as a unique medium.

Liquid Phase Exfoliation (LPE) is a very effective technique for the synthesis of few layered two dimensional (2D) nanosheets. There is a surge to find environment friendly solvents for efficient exfoliation of layered materials to produce 2D nanosheets. TiB is an important layered material with very little reported work on its 2D nanosheets.

Design of Multilayered 2D Nanomaterial Composite Structures for EMI Shielding Analysis.

It is still very challenging to effectively design nanocomposite microstructures with significantly improved electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE). Herein, we developed a facile method for fabrication of molybdenum disulfide/graphene nanoplatelets (MoS/GNPs) nanocomposites, in which GNPs are utilized as highly effective electrical transport materials, while MoS resolves the agglomeration problem of GNPs. GNPs also serve as an efficient cluster of electrical transport systems and dampen the incoming electromagnetic wave.

Environmental treatment and remediation using h-BN based smart and hybrid membrane.

Corrosion is a major problem resulting from acid gases found in natural gas being transported in pipelines. To solve this problem, high aspect ratio h-BN nanosheets have been incorporated and are properly assimilated in the CA matrix, this led to an increase in tortuous path of flow for the gas resulting in smooth, dense membrane samples causing exceptional permeability reduction. Hexagonal Boron Nitride (h-BN) nanosheets have been synthesized and incorporated into cellulose acetate (CA) matrix using solution casting method.

A flexible piezoresistive strain sensor based on laser scribed graphene oxide on polydimethylsiloxane.

Flexible strain sensors are an important constituent in soft robotics, health care devices, and in the defence industry. Strain sensors are characterized by their sensitivity (gauge factor-GF) and sensing range. In flexible strain sensors, simultaneously achieving consistency and high sensitivity has always been challenging.

2D nanosheets and composites for EMI shielding analysis.

Liquid exfoliated, 2-dimensional (2D), few layered graphene and molybdenum disulfide nanosheets (GNS and MNS) are size selected for EMI shielding application. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has confirmed the lateral dimensions increase (1-2 µm for GNS and MNS) with lowering centrifugation speed (1000 to 500 rpm). The micron size (~ 15 µm) restacked structures of GNS and MNS (L ~ 2 µm) over a nylon membrane have shown ~ 16 dB and ~ 6 dB EMI shielding effectiveness (1-8 GHz frequency), respectively.

PS/PANI/MoS Hybrid Polymer Composites with High Dielectric Behavior and Electrical Conductivity for EMI Shielding Effectiveness.

Liquid exfoliated molybdenum disulfide (MoS) nanosheets and polyaniline (PANI) nanoparticles are dispersed in polystyrene (PS) matrix to fabricate hybrid polymer composites with high dielectric and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding behavior. A phase-separated morphology is formed when PANI and MoS are incorporated into polystyrene (PS) matrix. An increasing concentration of MoS nanoparticles inside PS/PANI (5 wt %) polymer blend forms an interconnected network, resulting in high electrical conductivity and dielectric behavior, making them a suitable candidate for EMI shielding application.

Self-assembly and wetting properties of gold nanorod-CTAB molecules on HOPG.

The formation of self-assembled superstructures of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) after drying on a nonwetting highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface have been investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Although SEM did not reveal coverage of CTAB layers, AFM showed not only CTAB assembly, but also the dynamics of the process on the surface. The self-assembled layers of CTAB molecules on the HOPG terraces prior to nanorod deposition were shown to change the wettability of the surface, and as a result, gold nanorod deposition takes place on nonwetting HOPG terraces.

Uniaxial Drawing of Graphene-PVA Nanocomposites: Improvement in Mechanical Characteristics via Strain-Induced Exfoliation of Graphene.

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-stabilized graphene nanosheets (GNS) of lateral dimension (L) ~1 μm are obtained via liquid phase exfoliation technique to prepare its composites in the PVA matrix. These composites show low levels of reinforcements due to poor alignment of GNS within the matrix as predicted by the modified Halpin-Tsai model. Drawing these composites up to 200 % strain, a significant improvement in mechanical properties is observed.

Enhancing the mechanical properties of BN nanosheet-polymer composites by uniaxial drawing.

We have used liquid exfoliation of hexagonal Boron-Nitride (BN) to prepare composites of BN nanosheets of three different sizes in polyvinylchloride matrices. These composites show low levels of reinforcement, consistent with poor alignment of the nanosheets as-described by a modified version of Halpin-Tsai theory. However, drawing of the composites to 300% strain results in a considerable increase in mechanical properties with the maximum composite modulus and strength both ∼×3 higher than that of the pristine polymer.