CENTRE FOR RESEARCH IN FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS (CRFM)
Contact Us First floor, Fire Lab Building, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University)JAIN Global Campus, Jakkasandra Post, Kanakapura Tq Ramanagara District-562 112, Karnataka, India +91 9449293499 [email protected]
We investigate and develop electroactive materials, systems, and architecture for the energy and water nexus. They are essential for electrochemical energy storage, harvest, and effortless seawater desalination. We use various synthesis methods (chemical, thermal, and physical) to synthesize efficient electroactive materials, including organic-inorganic composites, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and polymers, nanocarbon and inorganic materials. Synthesis is pursued in energy storage systems such as batteries, supercapacitors, and hybrid devices to increase energy and power density and expand cyclability. Similarly, we produce electrocatalysts for photo/electrochemical water-splitting and electrocatalytic oxidation of ammonia borane, hydrazine, and alcohols to get efficient, inexpensive, earth-abundant, and environmentally friendly materials. Our systems and architecture development focus on the desalination of saline water using hybrid fuel cell-type electrochemical desalination, capacitive, and Faradaic deionization. Furthermore, the fabrication of microfluidic electrochemical devices of different architectures for sensing, capturing, and detecting cells and drug impurities.
As a result of their outstanding chemical and physical characteristics, MOFs provide immense potential for environmental applications. However, their practical uses in water treatment are constrained due to their innate fragility and powdered crystalline forms. Nevertheless, it is becoming increasingly apparent that efforts are being made to add macroscopic shapability to produce easy-to-handling shapes for real-time industrial applications. In order to promote the applications of MOFs in water treatment, this research involves the development of MOF-based engineered materials. This will be made possible by designing various adsorbent materials such as MOF-based aerogels/hydrogels, MOF-derived carbons (MDCs), hydrophobic MOFs, and magnetic framework composites (MFCs) to purify water from various contaminants.
Cancer is one of the fastest-rising primary diseases affecting the global population. Its diagnosis is a complex and expensive process. Conventional biopsy techniques, along with imaging techniques, are used to diagnose cancerous tissue but face the issue of being invasive and unreliable. Via liquid biopsy, various cellular entities such as Circulating Tumour Cells (CTCs) can be separated/isolated in a less invasive way, often directly from blood. CTCs can indicate the nature of cancer and the degree of spread of cancerous tissue. Microfluidic technology has been developed in the past decade to deal with micro-environments and micro-sized particles. Two major classifications of techniques, (i) physical and (ii) immunological capture, are used for isolation purposes. This research aims to explore and use physical methods, including using CTC's physical properties to isolate the CTCs. In contrast, immunological methods involve using the presence or overexpression of the membrane molecules, proteins, receptors, and antigens to have a binding interaction with functionalized chip surfaces or nanomaterials to capture the CTCs. These techniques are often used synergistically to capture/isolate CTCs very efficiently.
This research aims to design innovative 'easy-to-use' and 'cost-effective’ analytical devices for detecting toxic ions such as mercury, lead, arsenic, and fluoride in drinkable water with the naked eye. Organic receptors, natural pigments, and functionalized nanoparticles are used as molecular sensors to detect these ions quickly. These sensors with remarkable sensitivity/selectivity are rigorously tested in the laboratory. Various analytical approaches for molecular confirmation are used to characterize the synthesized sensors. Further, for the fabrication of devices, these sensors are loaded onto substrates through the functionalization of paper pads for on-site detection and also through the functionalization of cellulose fibres for swab kit manufacture. The gadgets would be ideal for in-home sensors in urban and rural homes for monitoring the presence of hazardous ions in drinking water.
This research involves using high-end tubular furnace/CVD systems that offer a high degree of control over such factors, which subsequently provides high control over the morphology and characteristics of the synthesized materials or coating. The high-temperature environment with inert conditions allows the synthesis of highly pure and ordered porous materials/coatings, which is often difficult to achieve through other conventional methods. It also permits the subsequent functionalization of materials or surfaces with various metals and semiconductors. The synthesis route employed for nanomaterials plays an essential role in determining their characteristics, such as size, shape, purity, surface area, porosity, and the presence of surface groups. These characteristics guide the physio-chemical properties of the nanomaterials. As mentioned earlier, a high degree of size control and purity can be achieved using a furnace-CVD system. Various precursors, even waste materials, can be transformed into functional materials with high surface area and porosity. These materials have great potential in adsorption, such as removing organic/inorganic pollutants (dyes, heavy metals, pharmaceutical waste, and biological toxins) from water and transporting pharmaceutical drugs in biological systems (targeted drug delivery).
A hydrogen economy is a promising future energy system using hydrogen as the primary energy source. Hydrogen is a clean and abundant energy source that can be used to generate electricity, power vehicles, and heat homes and businesses. The hydrogen economy is still in its early stages of development, but there is growing interest in it as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change. Several challenges must be overcome before the hydrogen economy can be fully realized. One challenge is the cost of producing hydrogen. Hydrogen can be produced from various sources, including water, fossil fuels, and biomass. However, the cost of producing hydrogen from these sources is still relatively high. CRFM is working extensively on hydrogen production from water splitting. The earth-abundant materials, including transition metal oxides /hydroxides /chalcogenides /phosphides, and redox-active macrocycles, MOFs, are used as electrocatalysts for water electrolysis. These materials are both cost-effective and efficient at producing hydrogen. We also explore novel strategies and approaches to enhance these materials' performance. We aim to find a more sustainable way to produce hydrogen. We believe that this research will reduce the environmental impact of current processes. It will also pave the way for a cleaner and more sustainable future.