Research

Theme of Research:

Studying physics of soft matter systems both passive and active systems; Fabricate new mesostructured materials by self-assembly. The ultimate goal is to develop new functional soft materials with reconfigurable structures at the nano and meso-scales.

Our experimental group focusses on "Studying physics of soft matter systems both passive and active systems; Fabricate new mesostructured materials by self-assembly. The ultimate goal is to develop new functional soft materials with reconfigurable structures at the nano and meso-scales".

I. Anisotropic colloidal mixtures for advanced functional materials

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are attractive substances with interesting colloidal self-assembly behavior and rheological properties due to their rigid rod morphology. We demonstrate the fabrication of nanocomposite thin films and aerogels from the binary colloidal mixtures of CNC and nanoplatelets. For the former, they can be used as efficient absorbers of model pollutants such as Nile blue and Rhodamine B dyes in solution, while as-obtained aerogels display enhanced flame retardation behavior.

  1. Catherine Tom, Venkata M S Ganesh Tanuku, Erwan Paineau, Ravi Kumar Pujala, "Binary Mixtures of Colloidal Cellulose Nanocrystals and Laponite for Preparation of Functional Nanocomposites". ACS Applied Nano Materials 4 (8), 8586 (2021).


II. Self assembly of anisotropic colloids

  1. RaviKumar Pujala* and H.B.Bohidar, "Hierarchical Self-assembly, Spongy Architecture, Liquid Crystalline Behaviour and Phase Diagram of Laponite Nanoplatelets in Alcohol-Water Binary Solvents", Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 554, 731 (2019).

  2. Ravi Kumar Pujala* and H.B. Bohidar, "Slow dynamics and equilibrium gelation in fractionated montmorillonite dispersions", Colloids and Polymer Science, 297, 1053 (2019).

  3. vi Kumar Pujala*, C. T. W. M. Schneijdenberg, Alfons van Blaaderen, H.B. Bohidar, "In-situ Observation of Hierarchical Self-Assembly Driven by Bicontinuous Gelation in Mixed Nanodisc Dispersions" Scientific Reports, 8, 5589 (2018) (Nature Publishing Group)(* Corresponding Author) (Ranked in Top 100 Scientific Reports papers in 2018)

II. Confinement Induced Self assembly of colloids

Formation and suppression of Coffee-ring effect.

  1. Ravi Kumar Pujala, Devika Venkuzhy Sudhakaran and Surajit Dhara, "Evaporation-driven self-assembly in the mixtures of micro and nanoparticles", Bulletin of Materials Science 43, 173 (2020). Invited article in the special issue "Soft Materials". (Cover Page article*).

  2. Maheshwar Gopu , Sachin Rathod, Uma Namangalam, Ravi Kumar Pujala, Sunil Kumar S, and Dileep Mampallil, "Evaporation of Inclined Drops: Formation of Asymmetric Ring Patterns" Langmuir 36, 8137 (2020).

III. Self assembly of anisotropic colloids in liquid crystal host

1. Muhammed Rasi M, Ravi Kumar Pujala, and Surajit Dhara, "Colloidal analogues of polymer chains, ribbons and 2D crystals employing orientations and interactions of nano-rods dispersed in a nematic liquid crystal", Scientific Reports 9, 4652 (2019) (Nature Publishing Group).

2. Devika V S, Ravi Kumar Pujala, and Surajit Dhara, "Orientation Dependent Interaction and Self-assembly of Cubic Magnetic Colloids in a Nematic Liquid Crystal", Advanced Optical Materials 8 (7), 1901585 (2020). This article appears in: Hot Topic: Magnetic Materials

3. Devika V S, Dinesh Kumar Sahu, Ravi Kumar Pujala, Surajit Dhara, "Defect-polymorphism controlled electrophoretic propulsion of anisometric microparticles in a nematic liquid crystal", Physical Review Applied 18, 014030 (2022).

IV. Active Matter