Research Publications

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Open Access
Developing a Rubber based Nanocomposite
(SLIIT, Faculty of Engineering, 2022-09-22) Sadique, M. I. F
Polymer compounds such as Natural Rubber (NR), which consists of compounds such as isoprene, are capable of being processed for the manufacture of a range of rubber based products for a large variety of applications. The properties of a natural rubber compound are susceptible to enhancements in their properties through the incorporation of nanofillers into its matrix. This study addresses the preparation of a natural rubber based nanocomposite that utilizes graphene as a nanofiller for the facilitation of the required enhancement in the rubber compounds properties. The nanocomposite specimens used in the study were prepared by means of acid-coagulation. The acid-coagulation formulation utilized was adapted from methodologies employed in commercial applications. The enhancement in the rubber properties due to the incorporation of the nanofiller was validated by means of mechanical testing. Prior to the testing, the applicable standard for tensile property testing was identified to be ASTM D412. Through the acclaimed standard, a mould to facilitate the preparation of the required specimens was 3D printed from PETG. The primary aim of the study was to determine the effect of large concentrations of graphene (beyond 2.5wt %).The results from the mechanical testing of the acidcoagulated samples exhibited enhancements in the elongation at break and tensile strength between unfilled NR and the graphene filled NR nanocomposite. With the incorporation of 5wt% of graphene, the elongation at break of the rubber increased to 687%, showing a 25% increase. The tensile strength of the rubber increased to 4.07 MPa, showing an enhancement of 102% in comparison to the pristine rubber compound.
Open Access
Efficient photocatalysis of carbon coupled TiO2 to degrade pollutants in wastewater – A review
(Elsevier, 2022-08-27) Thambiliyagodage, C
Water pollution caused by human activities is a monumental problem that the world is facing today. The use of polluted water for domestic, industrial, and agricultural applications creates severe hazardous issues. Therefore, decontamination of polluted water is greatly important. The advanced oxidation process is preferred to purify contaminated water as the pollutants are completely degraded to harmless products. TiO2 is the most widely researched photocatalyst due to its chemical stability, low cost and eco-friendliness. However, the use of TiO2 is limited as it is only sensitive to UV range due to its high band gap (3.0 eV for rutile) and the possible electron-hole pair recombination. TiO2 has been coupled with carbon-based materials to enhance photocatalytic activity by enhancing charge separation and visible light absorption. This review summarizes the recent use of TiO2 coupled to activated carbon, carbon nanotubes, graphene derivatives, and g-C3N4 to degrade different pollutants found in water including dyes, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, phenols and heavy metals. The advantages and disadvantages of using each carbon-based material are discussed. Further, the challenges and opportunities associated with all the materials are presented. Finally, recommendations and possible future outlooks are briefed in this review.
Open Access
Atomic-scale finite element modelling of mechanical behaviour of graphene nanoribbons
(Springer Netherlands, 2019-03) Damasceno, D. A; Mesquita, E; Rajapakse, R. K. N. D; Pavanello, R
Experimental characterization of Graphene NanoRibbons (GNRs) is still an expensive task and computational simulations are therefore seen as a practical option to study the properties and mechanical response of GNRs. Design of GNR elements in various nanotechnology devices can be approached through molecular dynamics simulations. This study demonstrates that the atomic-scale finite element method (AFEM) based on the second generation REBO potential is an efficient and accurate alternative to the molecular dynamics simulation of GNRs. Special atomic finite elements are proposed to model graphene edges. Extensive comparisons are presented with MD solutions to establish the accuracy of AFEM. It is also shown that the Tersoff potential is not accurate for GNR modeling. The study demonstrates the influence of chirality and size on design parameters such as tensile strength and stiffness. Graphene is stronger and stiffer in the zigzag direction compared to the armchair direction. Armchair GNRs shows a minor dependence of tensile strength and elastic modulus on size whereas in the case of zigzag GNRs both modulus and strength show a significant size dependency. The size-dependency trend noted in the present study is different from the previously reported MD solutions for GNRs but qualitatively agrees with experimental results. Based on the present study, AFEM can be considered a highly efficient computational tool for analysis and design of GNRs.
Open Access
Porous carbon materials in biomedical applications
(2019-11-12) Thambiliyagodage, C. J; Mirihana, S; Gunathilaka, H
Recent advances in carbon based porous materials in biomedical science and technology have been discussed. Biomedical applications like drug delivery, tissue engineering, biomedicine, gene transfection, photothermal and photo-dynamic theory of porous carbon materials such as mesoporous carbon materials, carbon nanotubes, activated carbon, graphene and fullerenes have been briefed. Finally, future biomedical applications of new porous carbon materials including metal organic frameworks, carbon dots have been introduced in this mini review.

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