Sustainable Materials

Polymeric materials are essential for the performance of plastics and functional ingredients in consumer and industrial products. However, there is a recognized need to shift toward more sustainable production and consumption of materials to address societal concerns on climate change and pollution while improving economic and environmental resilience. Natural polymers can provide sustainability benefits due to their inherent renewability and degradability.

Chitin, the most abundant aminopolysaccharide, can be found in the exoskeleton of crustacean shells, a major waste product of the fishing industry. The water-soluble derivative of chitin, chitosan, acquired through a process of deacetylation affords derivatization and processability of this natural biopolymer. Traditionally, deacetylation processes utilizing harsh chemical conditions and high energy inputs limiting scalability and sustainable practices. Furthermore, these methods result in depolymerization, presenting low molecular weight fragments.

The existing global energy crisis demands potential materials for applications relating to renewable energy production, for instance, hydrogen fuel generation via water splitting. Transition metal phosphide (TMP) nanoparticles e.g., copper phosphide (Cu3-xP), nickel phosphide (Ni2P), etc. are well known water splitting catalysts. Our prior experiences with TMPs confirm the superior activity of bimetallic phosphides over their monometallic counterparts.

The sustainability of agricultural practices is increasingly critical amid environmental challenges. While effective, traditional soil-based agricultural methods often contribute to soil degradation and resource depletion. The earth’s topsoil has eroded by 50% during the last 150 years. In addition to this, soil has also been affected by agricultural practices.  These effects include compaction, loss of soil structure, nutrient degradation, and soil salinity [1].

Supercapacitors, celebrated for their high power density and rapid charge-discharge capabilities, represent a promising solution to meet the increasing demand for sustainable energy storage systems. This research adopts a sustainable approach to develop green supercapacitors by leveraging biomass-derived materials for both electrodes and electrolytes, thereby aligning with global efforts toward green energy technologies and the circular economy.

Diels-Alder (DA) reactions result in the formation of two carbon-carbon bonds of six-membered ring structures with high atom economy. The use of unsaturated organoboranes, which are widely available and exhibit low toxicity, enables the modulation of reactivity and selectivity in these reactions and also allow a variety of subsequent transformations the carbon-boron bond. These characteristics align these reactions with the principles of green chemistry.