Cellulose hydrogel is three-dimensional, water-swollen polymer networks derived from cellulose. They combine the renewability and biodegradability of cellulose with high water content and tunable structure of hydrogels. We have successfully synthesized the hydrogels in the form of membrane and beads. Cellulose hydrogel membranes can act as selective barriers or separation media for many applications including batteries and fuel cells, water and wastewater treatments, wound dressings, etc. In the form of beads, they can be used for adsorption of pollutants, drug delivery systems, etc. Read more

N-doped carbon aerogel possessing honeycomb-like structure of internal pores in individual fibers has been successfully prepared from coir fibers using our proposed method via one-step route of ammonia-urea system. The non-ordered porous carbon aerogel has an extremely high surface area, >3500 m²/g and large pore volume. Aerogels have many potential applications such as solid acid catalyst for esterification, electrocatalyst in metal-air batteries and fuel cells, and so on. Read more

Magnetite (Fe₃O₄) and their corresponding ferrite nanoparticles have many potential applications for environment, biomedical, and energy storage and conversion. We proposed a simple electrooxidation of iron in water. No chemicals other than water are used. Alternating monopolar configuration has been demonstrated to be able to produce high-throughput production of the nanoparticles. The electrochemical reactor is easy to scale-up for mass production. Read more