Latest news with #DepartmentofPhysicsandCentreforNanotechnology
India Today
01-05-2025
- Science
- India Today
Cleaning oil-spilled water now easier with IIT Guwahati's indigenous aerogel
A group of scholars at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati has introduced a strange material that can potentially cure most ailments of our era. Headed by Professor PK Giri of the Department of Physics and Centre for Nanotechnology, the team has formed a new type of aerogel - light, porous, and full of new compound, created through the combination of a material known as MXene with carbon foam, has been very proficient in purifying waste from water and demixing oil from researchers enhanced the power of the MXene by adding phosphorus to it, which broke down toxic substances that are commonly present in water utilized by industrial or agricultural use. These substances are dyes, antibiotics, and oils that do not dissolve in published their results in the journal Carbon, and four young researchers - Mr. Koushik Ghosh, Mr. Sanjoy Sur Roy, Mr. Sirsendu Ghosal, and Mr. Debabrata Sahu - assisted in the pure water in short supply and contamination on the increase, most seek improved methods of treating wastewater. Although older technology is available, utilising strong chemical processes like the Peroxymonosulfate (PMS) system is gaining new aerogel can awaken this chemical to work more intensely and only does this substance purify water, but it also performs as a suitable oil remover. Its small pores absorb oil without allowing water through, so it's helpful when cleaning spills and cleaning factory to many, this aerogel also adjusts its electric resistance when bent or compressed, finding application in wearable devices and construction the process employed to produce this aerogel is problematic because of the use of concentrated acid, the group now looks for safer methods to produce it and aims to strengthen it by incorporating another assisting one material can soon replace many—cleaning, separating, and sensing—providing a cleaner future in plain Watch
Hans India
01-05-2025
- Science
- Hans India
New sustainable solution from IIT Guwahati to treat wastewater, oil spill
Guwahati: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have developed a novel, multi-functional aerogel with significant potential to address pressing environmental challenges like wastewater treatment, industrial pollution, and oil-water spills. Aerogels are ultra-lightweight, highly porous materials with a large surface area and exceptional adsorption properties, making them ideal for a wide range of environmental and industrial applications. While conventional methods such as membrane filtration and chemical precipitation are widely used, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have gained increasing attention for their effectiveness in degrading pollutants. Particularly, Peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-activated AOPs stand out for generating highly reactive sulfate and hydroxyl radicals, capable of breaking down complex organic molecules even at low concentrations. The team developed a hybrid aerogel by combining MXene -- a two-dimensional material known for its high conductivity and chemical reactivity, with carbon foam. By introducing phosphorus doping into the MXene framework, the researchers significantly improved its PMS activation capability, enabling the efficient breakdown of persistent organic pollutants in wastewater. Beyond wastewater treatment, the aerogel also exhibited excellent performance in oil-water separation. Its porous architecture selectively absorbs oil while repelling water, making it highly effective for cleaning up oil spills and treating industrial effluents. This separation process is not only efficient but also environmentally friendly, said the team. 'This study demonstrates how a single engineered material can offer multiple solutions to environmental challenges. The hybrid aerogel we developed shows promising results in wastewater purification, oil-water separation, and strain sensing, combining environmental sustainability with practical versatility,' said Prof. P. K. Giri, Department of Physics and Centre for Nanotechnology, IIT Guwahati. In addition, the developed aerogel also functions as a flexible strain sensor. Its electrical resistance changes in response to mechanical stress, opening applications in wearable electronics, smart devices, and structural health monitoring systems. This multi-capability material represents a significant advancement in sustainable materials science, offering scalable solutions for cleaner water, pollution control, and next-generation sensing technologies. Although the Ti3C2Tx-based hybrid aerogel demonstrates excellent performance, its conventional HF-based synthesis raises significant environmental and toxicity concerns. To address this, the research team is exploring acid-free synthesis routes for large-scale applications. In addition, they are working on introducing a co-catalyst layer to enhance the performance and durability of MXene-based aerogels by preventing the direct degradation of MXene nanosheets during catalysis.
