Research interest:

I am an experimental material scientist working on the development, characterization, and application of advanced material based on soft material nanocomposites. The emphasis is on biopolymer-based nanocomposites. This research is focused on understanding the role of impurity defects of any nature such as defects due to irradiation and developing advanced multifunctional devices mainly for biomedical applications such as biosensors and bioscaffolds.

We have different biosensors available in use now but require a trained person to use them. They are not user-friendly. Therefore, my interest is to develop room-temperature biosensors that can be used by each individual in society. One simple example is the Covid-19 virus test. We need to wait for quite a long time to know if you are really infected or not. During the time there might be many people get infected from you. So here we need something friendly, easier to use, and fast. This is one part of the research I am working on developing a chromatic biosensor. Another part of my research is bioscaffolds where the research is mostly devoted to the surface modification of polymer or polymer nanocomposite surfaces. Here the modification could be based on solvent or nanofiller.

In polymer nanocomposites, there is soaring interest in the use of nanoparticles due to their many extraordinary properties to modify the properties of the polymer nanocomposites which is not possible with polymer itself. We will explore different nanoparticles such as carbon-based nanoparticles, iron-based nanoparticles, and others. These nanofillers will be studied primarily for their biomedical applications. The behavior of these nanocomposites depends on the interaction between the polymer and the nanoparticle. The interaction behavior will be studied using different analytical instruments such as Uv-Vis, DSC, AFM, Transport measurement system, and the Ferroelectric test measurement system. 

While working on any of these projects, you will have opportunities to work in collaboration. This collaboration could be intra-departmental as well as inter-institutional. Some of my collaborators are as follows:

1. Dr. Jan Trybula, Biology Department, SUNY Potsdam.  

2. Dr. Ram C. Rai, Physics Department, SUNY Buffalo State.

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Recruitment

I will be looking for enthusiastic and interested students in utilizing physics-inspired nanotechnology involving nanosystems for their innovation in various outstanding bioapplication. Interested students are encouraged to contact me for research opportunities by email at adhikaar@potsdam.edu or just stop by my office TIM 210.

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