Mohan Raj Krishnan

Xylene isomers are notorious chemical hazards, and their efficient removal from water solutions is still challenging. The current study reports a polymer nanocomposite as a potential adsorbent for successfully removing dissolved xylene isomers from contaminated water. Polystyrene-1D multiwall carbon nanotube nanocomposite (PS-MWCNT) adsorbent was prepared using the one-step bulk polymerization method. Mesoporous PS-MWCNT was prepared using the nano-crystallization phase separation method. The sulfonation of the mesoporous PS-MWCNT nanocomposites was carried out by treating the samples with concentrated sulfuric acid at elevated temperatures. The sulfonated PS-MWCNT (HO3S-PS-MWCNT) was found to be a potential adsorbent for dissolved xylene isomers from water solution. In addition, the HO3S-PS-MWCNT can be efficiently recycled for up to 10 consecutive cycles with negligible decline in adsorption values. The exhibited equilibrium adsorption, rate of adsorption, and rapid regeneration of the HO3S-PS-MWCNT are clear indications for the possibility of practical utilization of these adsorbents in large-scale water treatment plants.

Oil spill clean-up is a long-standing challenge for researchers to prevent serious environmental pollution. A new kind of oil-absorbent based on silicon-containing polymers (e.g., poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)) with high absorption capacity and excellent reusability was prepared and used for oil-water separation. The PDMS-based oil absorbents have highly interconnected pores with swellable skeletons, combining the advantages of porous materials and gels. On the other hand, polymer/silica composites have been extensively studied as high-performance functional coatings since, as an organic/inorganic composite material, they are expected to combine polymer flexibility and ease of processing with mechanical properties. Polymer composites with increased impact resistance and tensile strength without decreasing the flexibility of the polymer matrix can be achieved by incorporating silica nanoparticles, nanosand, or sand particles into the polymeric matrices. Therefore, polymer/silica composites have attracted great interest in many industries. Some potential applications, including high-performance coatings, electronics and optical applications, membranes, sensors, materials for metal uptake, etc., were comprehensively reviewed. In the first part of the review, we will cover the recent progress of oil absorbents based on silicon-containing polymers (PDMS). In the later details of the review, we will discuss the recent developments of functional materials based on polymer/silica composites, sand, and nanosand systems.

Herein, we report a facile preparation method for mechanically robust and thermally enhanced sand‐polyacrylamide (PAM)‐2D‐nanofillers composite hydrogels and their application in water shutoff. To prepare the sample, 4 wt% of aqueous PAM solution is mixed with organic cross‐linkers of hydroquinone (HQ) and hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) in a 1:1 weight ratio and aqueous potassium chloride (KCl) solution and with a specific amount of 2D‐nanofillers such as commercial graphene (CG) nanosheets or boron nitride nanoparticles (BN NPs). A specific amount of the above solution is added to sand, well mixed, and subsequently cured at 150°C for 8 h. The prepared composite hydrogels were characterized by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) for chemical composition and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) for successful hydrogel coating onto the sand particles. Thermal stabilities of the samples have been evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Mechanical properties (storage modulus [G′]; loss modulus [G″]; gel strength (G′/G″); and damping factor [G″/G′]) of the samples were determined using dynamic mechanical analyses. The thermal stability of the samples has reached as high as 193.4°C, while the gel strength is found to be a maximum of 16.2. The water swelling ratio for the composite hydrogel has reached a maximum of 1100% within 1 h.

Three-dimensionally cross-linked polymer nanocomposite networks coated nano sand light-weight proppants (LWPs) were successfully prepared via ball-milling the macro sand and subsequently modifying the resultant nano sand with sequential polymer nanocomposite coating. The modified nano sand proppants had good sphericity and roundness. Thermal analyses showed that the samples can withstand up to 411 ℃. Moreover, the proppant samples’ specific gravity (S.G.) was 1.02–1.10 g/cm3 with excellent water dispersibility. Therefore, cross-linked polymer nanocomposite networks coated nano sand particles can act as potential candidates as water-carrying proppants for hydraulic fracturing operations.

Herein, we report a facile preparation of super-hydrophilic sand by coating the sand particles with cross-linked polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogels for enhanced water absorption and controlled water release aimed at desert agriculture. To prepare the sample, 4 wt% of aqueous PAM solution is mixed with organic cross-linkers of hydroquinone (HQ) and hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) in a 1:1 weight ratio and aqueous potassium chloride (KCl) solution. A specific amount of the above solution is added to the sand, well mixed, and subsequently cured at 150 °C for 8 h. The prepared super-hydrophilic sands were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) for chemical composition and X-ray diffraction (XRD) for successful polymer coating onto the sand. The water storage for the samples was studied by absorption kinetics at various temperature conditions, and extended water release was studied by water desorption kinetics. The water swelling ratio for the super-hydrophilic sand has reached a maximum of 900% (9 times its weight) at 80 °C within 1 h. The desorption kinetics of the samples showed that the water can be stored for up to a maximum of 3 days. Therefore, super-hydrophilic sand particles were successfully prepared by coating them with PAM hydrogels, which have great potential to be used in sustainable desert agriculture.

Two-dimensional atomically thick materials such as graphene and layered molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) have been studied as potential energy storage materials because of their high specific surface area, potential redox activity, and mechanical flexibility. However, because of the layered structure restacking and poor electrical conductivity, these materials are unable to attain their full potential. Composite electrodes made of a mixture of graphene and MoS₂ have been shown to partially resolve these issues in the past, although their performance is still limited by inadequate mixing at the nanoscale. Herein, we report three composites via a simple ball-milling method and analyze supercapacitor electrodes. Compared with pristine graphene and MoS₂, the composites showed high capacitance. The as-obtained MoS₂@Graphene composite (1:9) possesses a high surface area and uniform dispersion of MoS₂ on the graphene sheet. The MoS₂@Graphene (1:9) composite electrode has a high specific capacitance of 248 F g^-1 at 5 A g^-1 in an electrochemical supercapacitor compared with the other two composites. Simultaneously, the flexible symmetric supercapacitor device prepared demonstrated superior flexibility and a long lifespan (93% capacitance retention after 8000 cycles) with no obvious changes in performance under different angles. In portable and wearable energy storage devices, the current experimental results will result in scalable, freestanding hybrid electrodes with improved, flexible, supercapacitive performance.

Herein, we report a facile preparation and characterization of polyacrylamide (PAM)-2D nanofiller (commercial graphene (CG) and hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets (h-BN)) composite hydrogel coated sand for water shutoff application. To prepare the sample, 4 wt% of aqueous PAM solution that is mixed with organic cross-linkers of hydroquinone (HQ) and hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) in 1:1 weight ratio, aqueous potassium chloride (KCl) solution and a specific amount of CG or h-BN. A specific amount of the above solution is added to sand and well mixed and subsequently cured at 150 °C for 8 hours. The prepared sand-polymer composites were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) for chemical composition, X-ray diffraction (XRD) for successful polymer coating onto the sand, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for thermal stabilities. the success of the sand coating was evaluated based on the peak intensities depicted for the sand-PAM gels with respect to neat-sand and neat-PAM. The absence of some of the peaks and their corresponding decrease in the intensities indicates the successful coating of the PAM hydrogel matrix onto the sand surface. The thermal stability of the sand samples has reached as high as 190.7 °C. The prepared material has a high potential for water shutoff applications.