Faculty Publications

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://idr.nitk.ac.in/handle/123456789/18736

Publications by NITK Faculty

Browse

Author: search.filters.author.Nowl, M.S.Has files: No

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Hydroxyapatite–Clay Composite for Bone Tissue Engineering: Effective Utilization of Prawn Exoskeleton Biowaste
    (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2023) Satish, P.; Hadagalli, K.; Praveen, L.L.; Nowl, M.S.; Seikh, A.H.; Alnaser, I.A.; Abdo, H.S.; Mandal, S.
    Hydroxyapatite (HA, Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2)-based porous scaffolds have been widely investigated in the last three decades. HA, with excellent biocompatibility and osteoconductivity, has made this material widely used in bone tissue engineering. To improve the mechano-biological properties of HA, the addition of clay to develop HA-based composite scaffolds has gained considerable interest from researchers. In this study, a cost-effective method to prepare a HA–clay composite was demonstrated via the mechanical mixing method, wherein kaolin was used because of its biocompatibility. Prawn (Fenneropenaeus indicus) exoskeleton biowaste was utilized as a raw source to synthesize pure HA using wet chemical synthesis. HA–clay composites were prepared by reinforcing HA with 10, 20, and 30 wt.% of kaolin via the mechanical mixing method. A series of characterization tools such as XRD, FTIR, Raman, and FESEM analysis confirmed the phases and characteristic structural and vibrations bonds along with the morphology of sintered bare HA, HA–kaolin clay composite, and kaolin alone, respectively. The HA–clay composite pellets, uniaxially pressed and sintered at 1100 °C for 2 h, were subjected to a compression test, and an enhancement in mechanical and physical properties, with the highest compressive strength of 35 MPa and a retained open porosity of 33%, was achieved in the HA–kaolin (20 wt.%) clay composite, in comparison with bare HA. The addition of 20% kaolin to HA enhanced its compressive strength by 33.7% and increased its open porosity by 19% when compared with bare HA. The reinforcement of HA with different amounts (10, 20, 30 wt.%) of kaolin could open up a new direction of preparing biocomposite scaffolds with enhanced mechanical properties, improved wear, and better cell proliferation in the field of bone tissue engineering. © 2023 by the authors.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    A comparative analysis of crustacean exoskeletons: structural, microstructural, morphological, and UV absorption studies
    (Institute of Physics, 2024) Nowl, M.S.; Praveen, L.L.; Ambili, V.; Singh, S.; Samad, U.; Seikh, A.H.; Dutta, S.; Mandal, S.
    This study aims to investigate the structural, thermal, and spectral characteristics, along with the ultra-violet (UV) absorption of various marine benthos exoskeletons, such as various species of crabs (Portunus sanguinolentus, Portunus pelagicus, Charybdis feriata) and mantis shrimp (Oratosquilla oratoria). Their unique properties and ability to survive in harsh oceanic environments make them interesting research subjects. This research utilized powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis to determine the crystal structure of the benthic varieties. The sample surface was analyzed using high-resolution micrographs obtained from field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), which identified the presence of chitin and calcite in the marine benthos. This was further confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The optical characteristics were investigated using UV-visible spectroscopy. The proximate analysis revealed high protein content in the mantis shrimp exoskeleton compared to other crab species, highlighting its excellent UV absorption characteristics. Overall, this research has the potential to broaden our understanding of marine organisms, which can have potential applications in biotechnology and materials science to develop nature-inspired innovative materials sustainably. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Enhancing Strength Properties of Hydroxyapatite Composites with Bentonite Clay
    (Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2025) Satish, P.; Hadagalli, K.; Nowl, M.S.; Siddeswara, R.; Kalikeri, S.; Mandal, S.
    The main inorganic component of human hard tissues is hydroxyapatite (HA, Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) and the mechanical and biological performance of HA can be improved by incorporating clay minerals to create HA-clay composite scaffolds. This study demonstrates a high-strength biocomposite of HA and bentonite with a significant reduction of open porosity, considering bentonite clay for its biocompatibility. Prawn shells (Fenneropenaeus indicus - marine resource) were utilized as a sustainable source of calcium to synthesize high-purity HA through a wet-chemical process, offering an innovative approach to valorize bio-waste. HA-bentonite clay composites were made by compacting 10-40 wt% of bentonite clay with HA using uniaxial pressing, followed by sintering at 1100°C for 2 h. Characterization techniques like X-ray diffraction, Raman, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy verified the phases, structures, vibrational bonds and morphology of the synthesized materials. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis were performed for elemental composition and heavy metal detection, respectively. The HA-bentonite (30 wt%) composite achieved an exceptional compressive strength of 155 MPa and an open porosity of 7%, surpassing bare HA. Adding 30% bentonite increased compressive strength six fold and decreased open porosity by 51% compared to bare HA. This novel approach to HA-bentonite scaffolds promises enhanced wear resistance and cellular proliferation in bone tissue engineering. © 2025 Indian Ceramic Society.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Soy protein isolate films: a biodegradable solution for UV protection alternatives
    (Springer, 2025) Nowl, M.S.; Ambili, V.; Gautam, V.; Dutta, S.; Mandal, S.
    The uncompromising need to protect against harmful UVA and UVB radiation and to alleviate plastic pollution has catalyzed the development of innovative, eco-friendly materials. This study presents a solution by developing a transparent coating derived from Soy Protein Isolate (SPI), offering UV protection as well as sustainable bioplastic alternatives to synthetic polymers. The structural and chemical properties of SPI coatings, highlighting their UV protective capabilities, were analyzed using UV absorption spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and High-Resolution Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (HR-LCMS). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis showed decrease in carbon composition between SPI powder and film, suggesting a different surface composition for the film from powder, whereas denaturation was further confirmed by DSC. Contact angle measurement gives insights about the surface properties of the film and HR-LCMS gives the amino acids present in SPI. The biodegradability of SPI, coupled with its durability and transparency, underscores its potential as a versatile host material for various coatings. highlighting its additional advantage. From the FE-SEM study, the coating shows uniformity, which presents an innovative approach to transparent coatings. Notably, alongside transparency, the inherent UV absorption properties of SPI remained consistent before and after denaturation, showing potential applications in UV protective biodegradable coatings for various industrial applications, promoting eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic polymers. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Comprehensive utilization of crustacean wastes by chemical-catalytic transformations using levulinic acid as a sustainable platform chemical
    (Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2025) C, P.N.; Nowl, M.S.; Mandal, S.; Dutta, S.
    Shell residues from seafood processing and aquaculture industries encounter significant challenges in waste management. There are many traditional and emerging applications of shell waste, but their enormous scale of production outpaces the utilization. This work reports the comprehensive utilization of shell waste by sequentially converting their major components into value-added products by selective chemical transformations. The pigments were extracted using ?-valerolactone (GVL), a biorenewable solvent produced from carbohydrate-derived levulinic acid (LA). The protein component was separated from shells under hydrothermal conditions with or without using any inorganic base. The calcite component was then reacted with LA and formic acid to form calcium levulinate and calcium formate, promising dietary supplements and chemical feedstock. Finally, chitin was converted into LA (30 mol%) under optimized conditions (150 °C, 4 h). Separation and value-addition of the components of crustacean exoskeletons demonstrated in this work are scalable, the products are marketable, and the catalyst used is recyclable. LA produced from chitin is used as the reagent and for synthesizing GVL for a closed-loop biorefinery. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025.