Research Areas: Polymer Chemistry and Materials Science

Our research interests revolve around several themes in polymer chemistry and materials science. Current research is focused in the areas of Polymer Membranes, Hydrogen Energy, Polymer Nanostructures and Sustainable Polymers. We emphasise the synthesis of complex macromolecular architectures and understanding of their structure-property relationships, which are key in improving the polymer performance and designing new materials. We seek to develop unique polymeric materials for variety of applications which include fuel cell, water electrolyzer, drug delivery, protein binding, energetic polymers, coatings, environmentally benign polymers etc. We employ step-growth, emulsion, photo, radical and RAFT polymerisation techniques to synthesise the newly designed polymers. Our group utilises these synthesised polymers to develop novel ion exchange membranes, miscible blends, polymer gels and hydrogels, colloids, core-shell nanostructures, nanocomposites for their potential use in the above-mentioned application areas. In addition to our academic research, our group takes up industry relevant R & D challenges and offers innovative solutions to industries.