Research Areas
One of my primary areas of research over the past two decades is focused on the complexities of self-assembly and the correlation between structure and properties in -conjugated polymers. Donor-acceptor supramolecular comb polymers were specifically designed to create an efficient long-range pathway for charge transport to the electrodes. The resulting lamellar architectures demonstrated a clear trend of increased conductance, validating the initial hypothesis. The self-assembled conjugated supramolecular comb polymer was further investigated as a probe to study the self-assembly of block copolymers, which tend to undergo phase separation due to the incompatibility of the different block segments. NMR spectroscopy was employed to analyze the molecular probe - a ditopic bispentadecylphenol substituted perylenediimide in the self-assembly of polystyrene-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) in tetrahydrofuran (THF). NMR experimental parameters provided detailed insights into the structure of the assemblies in solution as well as the interaction between the small molecule and the block copolymer.

-Conjugated polymers possess unique charge conduction properties making them highly promising for applications in energy harvesting and storage devices. One of the major obstacles hindering the development of the  conjugated polymers is associated with scaling up of the synthesis using batch techniques. To overcome batch-to-batch variations of polymer properties a continuous flow technique was adapted for the synthesis of P(NDI2OD-T2) using via the direct heteroarylation polymerization (DHAP) route, resulting in a defect-free polymer with reasonable molecular weights. P(NDI2OD-T2) also known as Polyera ActivInk N2200 is a widely used nonfullerene acceptor polymer that shows great promise for optoelectronic applications such as organic field-effect transistor (OFETs).

Additive Manufacturing, also known as three-dimensional printing (3DP), is an emerging technology with wide industrial applications in automotive and biomedical fields. The demand for biodegradable materials suitable for bio 3D printing has been on the rise in recent years.
We have developed new classes of biodegradable photopolymerizable monomers and crosslinkers using polylactide (PLA) and amino acids. We synthesized functionalized poly (amino acids) that incorporate fluorescent moieties. These moieties not only help in modulating the viscosity of the resin formulation but also act as light blockers, thereby enhancing the resolution of the 3D printed objects. Recyclable photo-crosslinkers were created incorporating Schiff base into the resin formulation, which are known to undergo dynamic bond exchange. As a result, the 3D printed objects can be reshaped into different forms using chemical or temperature-based triggers.

Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) is an engineering thermoplastic polymer with exceptional mechanical and thermal properties, making it ideal for 3D printing applications. However, 3D printing commercial PEEK at room temperature is quite challenging. To overcome this challenge, we prepared modified PEEK polymers that contain urethaneacrylate end groups. This functionality allows room temperature DLP 3D printing of functionalized PEEK polymers, achieving high Young’s modulus and exceptional thermal properties. This approach is unprecedented in the literature.

We are also working on epoxy vitrimers for application in recyclable carbon fibre composites. Preliminary work has shown that dynamic covalent bonds of imine and disulfide linkages enable dynamic configurability in crosslinked polymer networks, thus introducing recyclability into traditionally irreversible thermoset systems. When combined with carbon fibres in Type IV hydrogen storage tanks, these recyclable epoxies offer the promise of maintaining structural and mechanical performance while enabling the extraction of the carbon fibre.