Faculty Publications
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://idr.nitk.ac.in/handle/123456789/18736
Publications by NITK Faculty
Browse
10 results
Search Results
Item Parametric study of manufacturing ultrafine polybenzimidazole fibers by electrospinning(Springer, 2012) Anandhan, S.; Ponprapakaran, K.; Senthil, T.; George, G.Polybenzimidazole (PBI), a high performance polymer, was synthesized from 3,3?-diaminobenzidine (DAB) and isophthalic acid (IPA) through polycondensation. The chemical structure of PBI was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Thermal characterization of PBI was done by thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry. PBI nanofibers were fabricated by electrospinning of N, N-dimethyl acetamide solutions of PBI of different solution concentrations, at different voltages. The effects of solution and process parameters (namely, solution concentration and DC voltage) on morphology and average diameter of electrospun PBI fibers were investigated. The electrospun ultrafine fibers' diameter and morphology were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy. Nanofibers were obtained only from PBI solutions of concentrations 12 and 14 % (w/v). At concentrations of 8, 10, and 16 %, fibers could not be obtained. The process parameters were optimized by using the statistical tool, factorial or two-way ANOVA (analysis of variance), DOE (design of experiments) and the results indicate that the applied voltage and the interaction of voltage and solution concentration are influential in determining the diameter and morphology of the electrospun ultrathin PBI fibers. Electrospun PBI fibers, as small as 56 nm, could be successfully produced by using the right combination of solution concentration and spinning voltage. © 2012 Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology.Item Solution electrospinning of styrene-acrylonitrile random copolymer from dimethyl sulfoxide(Springer India sanjiv.goswami@springer.co.in, 2013) Senthil, T.; Anandhan, S.Electrospinning is an efficient and versatile technique for the fabrication of ultrafine fibers having diameters ranging from nano to sub-micron level for various potential applications. In this study, we have investigated the influence of process and solution parameters, such as solution concentration, flow rate and applied voltage, on the morphology of electrospun poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) (SAN) fibers. Morphology and average diameter (Davg.) of the electrospun SAN fibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM results reveal that concentration, applied voltage and flow rate of solution are strongly associated with formation of defects, such as beads, in the fibers. Ultrafine SAN fibers with Davg. in the range of 96-872 nm were obtained by controlling the experimental parameters. The Davg. of electrospun fibers increased with increasing solution concentration, applied voltage and flow rate. Also, the Davg. exhibits a power law relationship with the solution concentration. © 2013 Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology.Item Chemical-resistant Ultrafine Poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) Fibers by Electrospinning: Process Optimization by Design of Experiment(2013) Senthil, T.; George, G.; Anandhan, S.The effects of solution and processing parameters on the morphology and diameter of electrospun poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) fibers were investigated by design of experiment. Morphology of the electrospun fiber mats were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. With increasing solution concentration, fiber morphology changed from that of a spindle-like beaded one to smooth, and the average fiber diameter increased from 96 to 876 nm. Average fiber diameter gradually increased with applied voltage; however, fiber morphology was only slightly influenced by flow rate. Regression analysis results reveal that solution concentration has the most significant impact on the average and standard deviation of fiber diameter. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.Item Structural characterization of nano-crystalline Co3O4 ultra-fine fibers obtained by sol-gel electrospinning(2013) George, G.; Anandhan, S.In this paper, we report the obtention of ultrafine fibers of cobalt oxide (Co3O4) by combining electrospinning method with high-temperature calcinations from the precursor sol of poly(2-ethyl-2- oxazoline) (PEtOx)/cobalt acetate tetrahydrate [Co(CH3COO) 2·4H2O] in water. The optimum electrospinning conditions for obtaining precursor composite nanofibers from PEtOx/Co(CH 3COO)2·4H2O solution in water, to produce ceramic nanofibers, were studied. The average fiber diameter of the precursor composite fibers measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was approximately 200 nm. Thermogravimetric analysis of PEtOx was performed to estimate the suitable calcination temperature of the precursor fibers. SEM images of the ceramic fibers obtained after calcination revealed the shrinkage in diameter due to complete degradation of the polymer and Co(CH 3COO)2·4H2O. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to ensure the complete pyrolysis of polymer during calcinations of the composite fibers. Crystalline properties of the ceramic fibers were studied by X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The ceramic fibers are polycrystalline with an average grain size of ?40 nm obtained at a calcination temperature of 773 K. It was observed that the grain sizes increased as the calcination temperature was increased, due to self assembly mechanism. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.Item Synthesis and characterisation of nickel oxide nanofibre webs with alcohol sensing characteristics(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2014) George, G.; Anandhan, S.In this study, nickel oxide (NiO) nanofibres were obtained by a sol-gel electrospinning process followed by calcination from an aqueous sol of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)/nickel acetate tetrahydrate. Thermogravimetric analysis was used to determine the degradation temperature of the composite fibres, so as to get nickel oxide nanofibres. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction studies revealed the complete elimination of the organic phase from NiO fibres during calcination. The change in grain size with calcination temperature was determined by X-ray diffraction. The defects in fibres resulted in the modification of their Raman spectra as compared with that of a single crystal. The magnetic properties of the fibres were reduced as the calcination temperature was increased; this is due to the presence of non-stoichiometric defects. As the calcination temperature was increased, the amount of defects was reduced, which induced a difference in the band gap energy of the fibres. Sensitivity of the NiO fibres towards five different alcohols was studied, and the sensitivity towards ethanol was the highest. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2014.Item Comparison of structural, spectral and magnetic properties of NiO nanofibers obtained by sol-gel electrospinning from two different polymeric binders(Elsevier Ltd, 2015) George, G.; Anandhan, S.NiO is a p-type semiconductor with wide band gap energy. In this study, nickel oxide nanofibers were fabricated by sol-gel electrospinning followed by high temperature calcination, using two sacrificial polymeric binders. Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEtOx) in water and styrene-acrylonitrile random copolymer (SAN) in N,N- dimethylformamide (DMF) along with nickel (II) acetate tetrahydrate (NATH), as metal oxide precursor, were the two distinct polymeric systems used in this study. The morphological and structural properties of NiO fibers obtained from the aforementioned systems were compared with each other. The degradation behavior of the sacrificial polymeric binder imparted a significant effect on the properties of the obtained NiO fibers. The grain sizes and the activation energies for grain growth of NiO fibers from two systems were different. The non-stoichiometric NiO fibers obtained from the SAN/NATH system had a better ferromagnetic behavior as compared with that produced from the PEtOx/NATH system. This non-stoichiometry made a difference also in the optical band gap energies of the NiO nanofibers. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd.Item Fabrication of styrene-acrylonitrile random copolymer nanofiber membranes from N,N-dimethyl formamide by electrospinning(SAGE Publications Ltd info@sagepub.co.uk, 2015) Senthil, T.; Anandhan, S.Ultrafine styrene-acrylonitrile random copolymer (SAN) nanofiber-based membranes were produced from N,N-dimethyl formamide solution by electrospinning. The purpose of this study was to find the optimum values of the electrospinning parameters and the influence of major significant parameters on the electrospun fiber morphology and the average fiber diameter (Davg) and its standard deviation using design of experiment. A backward elimination model for multiple regression analysis was employed to obtain quantitative interactions among selected electrospinning parameters and the final fiber diameter. The dependence of the Davg and morphology on the critical entanglement concentration was also studied. Morphology of the electrospun nanofiber mats were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Davg of electrospun SAN fibers increased considerably with increasing solution concentration. Fibers with diameters ranging from 40 to 650 nm were obtained. Analysis of variance was utilized to identify the statistically significant parameters (p < 0.05) and error variance. © The Author(s) 2013.Item Effect of polarization switching on piezoelectric and dielectric performance of electrospun nanofabrics of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/Ca–Al LDH nanocomposite(John Wiley and Sons Inc. P.O.Box 18667 Newark NJ 07191-8667, 2020) Shamitha, C.; Mahendran, A.R.; Anandhan, S.At present, highly flexible, durable, and lightweight piezoelectric nanogenerators with high-power density and energy conversion efficiency are of great interest. The present study reports a new synthetic route for Ca–Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanosheets and incorporation of these two-dimensional nanosheets as filler material into poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) to produce composite nanofabrics by electrospinning. The polymorphism, crystallinity, and the interaction between PVDF and LDH were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry techniques. The synergetic effect of PVDF–LDH interaction and in situ stretching due to electrospinning facilitates the nucleation of electroactive ? phase up to 82.79%, which makes it a suitable material for piezoelectric-based nanogenerators. The piezoelectric performance of PVDF/Ca–Al LDH composite nanofabrics was demonstrated by hand slapping and frequency-dependent mechanical vibration mode, which delivered a maximum open circuit output voltage of 4.1 and 5.72 V, respectively. Moreover, the composite nanofabrics exhibited a high dielectric constant and low dielectric loss due to superior interfacial polarization at low-frequency region with LDH loading, promising its potential applications in electronic devices. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 137, 48697. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Item Ionic Surfactant-Assisted PVDF Nanofabrics with High Dielectric and Excellent Piezoelectric Performance(Korean Fiber Society, 2024) Khalifa, M.; Lammer, H.; Anandhan, S.Flexible dielectrics and piezoelectric sensors have attracted a number of applications in advanced electronic systems. In this regard, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is considered as a promising option due to its flexibility and ferroelectric properties. In this study, a highly flexible non-woven fabric was developed from electrospun PVDF nanofibers containing cationic and anionic surfactants. Cetrimonium bromide (CTAB) was used as a cationic surfactant, while sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) was used as an anionic surfactant. The presence of cationic and anionic surfactants played a pivotal role in the production of finer fibers. PVDF-SLS nano-fabric exhibited oriented fibers, while PVDF-CTAB nano-fabric displayed randomly arranged fibers. PVDF-SLS-based nano-fabric displayed the highest β-phase content of 98.2%, while PVDF-CTAB non-woven showed a β-phase content of 91.6%. A significant improvement in the dielectric properties of PVDF nano-fabric was observed upon the addition of cationic and anionic surfactants. Furthermore, PVDF-SLS nano-fabric demonstrated exceptional dielectric and piezoelectric properties, generating a piezoelectric voltage of ~ 19 V. In comparison, PVDF-CTAB nano-fabric exhibited a piezoelectric voltage of 12.5 V. The power density of PVDF improved significantly upon the addition of SLS surfactant. Such attributes position PVDF-SLS nanofabrics as valuable candidates for diverse applications, particularly in the field of piezoelectric sensors and energy storage devices. The research not only advances the understanding of optimizing PVDF nanofabrics, but also establishes a foundation for future exploration in the realm of flexible electronics. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.) © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to the Korean Fiber Society 2024.Item A systematic analysis on the electrospinnability of biocompatible poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)(Institute of Physics, 2025) Das, A.; Anandhan, S.; Chethan, K.N.; Salins, S.S.; Shetty, R.; Shetty, S.Fine-tuning electrospun nanofibers is crucial for producing high-quality fibers. Taguchi Design of Experiment (DOE), along with various other computational techniques, has been used to optimize the electrospinning parameters of different polymers. Taguchi DOE has proven effective in optimizing electrospun nanofibers because it reduces the number of trials needed. In this study, the electrospinning parameters of poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) were optimized and quantified using the Taguchi-based Response Surface Methodology (RSM) approach. The average fiber diameters were measured from Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) images using ImageJ software. Within the tested range of parameters and levels, the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) study identified polymer concentration and flow rate as the most significant factors that influenced the fiber diameter. Polymer concentration accounting 56.94% of the variation, while Flow Rate (FR) accounts for 20.82%. The optimal parameter levels were predicted to be 10 wt% polymer concentration, 1 ml h?1 flow rate, 18 kV voltage, and a distance from tip to target of 15 cm, which yielded fibers with an average diameter of 231 nm and an accuracy of 88.61%. Overall, the results demonstrate that Taguchi DOE, coupled with RSM, is a reliable and efficient method for identifying the optimal parameter combinations to produce uniform, fine PBAT nanofibers intended for biomedical applications. © 2025 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights, including for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies, are reserved.