Showing 22 results for Author: Nihal S. Kanbargi
Sep, 2026
Conference Paper
Vitrimer is an innovative class of polymeric materials which demonstrates traditional thermoset-like mechanical and chemical resilience while still being able to flow on demand like a traditional thermoplastic through covalently adaptive dynamic linkages. Herein, high-performance cellulose fiber reinforced vitrimer composites are developed using an epoxy-based vitrimer and…
Sep, 2026
Journal
Adhesive-bonded joints are essential for lightweight, multimaterial automotive structures. We developed a lignin-based thermoplastic adhesive with adhesion strength comparable to conventional epoxy adhesives (20–23 MPa), while offering exceptional durability, recyclability, and corrosion resistance. Unlike commercial epoxy adhesives requiring refrigerated storage, our adhe…
Apr, 2026
Journal
Phase change materials (PCMs) are in high demand for applications such as thermal energy storage in buildings, electronics cooling, and thermal management of electric vehicle batteries and data centers. Among these materials, salt hydrate PCMs are particularly attractive due to their high thermal energy storage capacity and low cost. However, they suffer from two major iss…
Aug, 2025
Journal
Dry processing (DP) is an advanced manufacturing technique for lithium-ion battery (LIB) electrodes. Unlike conventional wet-process-based manufacturing that involves dissolving polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) binder in n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) solvent for slurry-casting, DP involves fibrillation of polymer binders. This method offers environmental and cost benefits by…
Jul, 2025
Journal
Polymers containing dynamic covalent bonds (DCBs) exhibit thermoplastic-like flow above their topology freezing temperature (Tv) while maintaining thermoset-like properties below it, making them promising for sustainable manufacturing. However, their large-scale adoption remains limited due to challenges in accurately determining Tv and achieving efficient fiber-matrix bon…
Jul, 2025
Journal
A facile, direct deposition approach that exploits van der Waals interactions between carbonaceous materials is utilized to create unidirectional hybrid carbon fiber composites. Two small molecule crosslinkers, a trifunctional aromatic (TL) and a difunctional aliphatic (DL) acyl chloride, are first utilized to create a crosslinked interphase with a softer and stiffer modul…
Apr, 2025
Journal
To enhance the mechanical properties of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites, a physicochemical scaffold is designed incorporating microscopically architected chemically reactive nanofibers that act as a multiscale bridge between the carbon fibers and the matrix. Thermally activated nanofibers leverage their morphologically driven mechanochemical properties to form c…
Aug, 2024
Journal
The encapsulation ofsalt hydrate phase change materials (PCMs) in uniform microscale bodies has yetbeen reported in research due in part to the delicate relationship betweenthermal performance and water-to-salt ratios which are easily altered duringmanufacturing. Herein, core–shell composite fibers comprised of a salt hydratePCM core and a poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) shell a…
Jun, 2024
Journal
With the growing requirement for lightweight structural materials in automotive, aerospace, and infrastructure applications, multi-material joints made with adhesive have attracted intense research interest. Commercial thermoset adhesives are one-time cures, and difficult to disassemble the bonded components for repair and recycling. Our prior work with a thermoplastic acr…
Apr, 2024
Journal
We present a streamlined method to covalently bond hydroxylated carbon nanotubes (CNOH) within a polyphenol matrix, all achieved through a direct, solvent-free process. Employing an extremely small concentration of CNOH (0.01% w/w) along with topologically contrasting linkers led to a maximum of 5-fold increase in modulus and a 25% enhancement in tensile strength compared…
Mar, 2024
Journal
Vitrimers have been introduced to circumvent the lack of recyclability of traditional thermosets with permanent cross-linked structures, while preserving the advantages of structural stability and mechanical properties. The success of this lies in the successful incorporation of a robust networked structure to achieve reversible extensibility and toughness while preserving…
Jan, 2024
Journal
The requirement for high energy density batteries is driving the development of high-capacity electrode materials while reducing the amount of inactive battery components such as separators, binders, and current collectors. Though current collectors are an inactive component, they are still required for successful working of a battery cell. Conventional current collectors…