Papers by Author: Suprakas Sinha Ray

Abstract: This paper describes the preparation, characterization and properties of nanostructured composite materials based on poly(butylene adipate-co-polycaprolactam) (PBA-co-PCL)/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and polycaprolactone (PCL)/MWCNTs. The polymer/MWCNTs nanocomposites were prepared by mixing the polymers with various amounts of MWCNTs using both solution and melt blending processes. The dispersion of MWCNTs into the polymer matrix was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the thermal stability of the nanocomposites was studied by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to study the crystallization and melting behaviour of the polymer matrices containing the MWCNTs.

Abstract: Nanomaterials are of great importance for their versatile applications in gas sensors, solar cells and photocatalysis due to their unique optical, electrical and catalytic properties. Titania derived nanotubular and nanospherical particles with a titanate structure were synthesized using a hydrothermal procedure in the presence of very concentrated solutions of KOH and NaOH respectively. Both nanostructures were found to exhibit relatively large specific surface areas, i.e. 280 and 303 m2/g for materials treated in NaOH and KOH respectively. The morphological and structural properties were characterised by TEM, SEM, Raman spectroscopy and XRD.