One of the major goals of sustainability is optimal utilization of materials. The underlying theme of our research is to push the envelope of materials performance; to design materials to be more functional and, easier to recycle and reuse. Our group develops an understanding of how microstructure evolves in soft materials and relates structure to properties to engineer materials.

Soft matter impacts every aspect of our day-to-day life. We encounter such materials in the form of plastic bags, toothpaste and shaving foam, LCs in LCD screens, automotive lubricants, “slimy” biological materials, etc. This class of materials includes polymers, composites, colloids, liquid crystals, viz. all materials where structure is determined though a large number of weak interactions. A delicate interplay of entropy of energetic interactions determines the structure of soft matter. Our research cuts across the chemistry and physics of materials to engineer them for performance.

Our research focuses on three aspects of sustainability and materials circularity:

• Sustainable materials and sustainable processes: Understanding microstructure-property relations in regenerated cellulose is important for the transition to greener, more sustainable processeses. We have worked on structure-property relations in regenerated cellulose fibers produced using the older Viscose and more recent Lyocell processes.

• Designer functional materials: We are interested in next generation nanocomposites that provide flame retardance without additives that are persistent-organic-pollutants, high functionality membranes for separations, where the functionality does not compromise on mechanical properties.

• Circularity - Recycling and Reuse: We have developed additive-based strategies to prepare value added materials, such as 3D printing filament from waste-derived plastics. In general, we are interested in decreasing plastic waste streams, and in deriving value from existing waste plastics.

We are primarily experimentalists and use a variety of techniques including rheology, scattering (visible radiation, X-rays, neutrons), microscopy and spectroscopy to probe the structure of soft materials.

We collaborate with industry to take science from our laboratories to technologies that can be deployed. An example of our work that is making a difference is lipid based adjuvants for effective delivery of semiochemicals in agricultural applications. Click here for a video that showcases this technology.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Laboratory CL116, Ground Floor, Chemical Engineering Building, IIT-Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076.
guruswamy@iitb.ac.in
+91-22-25767239 (Guru's office) and +91-22-25766204 (lab)