V. Velmurugan

Bio: V. Velmurugan is an academic researcher from VIT University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Graphene & Oxide. The author has an hindex of 12, co-authored 26 publications receiving 1159 citations.

Preparation and Phase Evolution of Wollastonite by Sol-Gel Combustion Method Using Sucrose as the Fuel

Abstract: Wollastonite is a bioactive material (molecular formula of CaSiO3) that belongs to the class of calcium silicate. It is widely used as a bone regenerative material and as a drug delivery carrier due to its high bioactivity and biocompatibility. A novel sol-gel combustion synthesis has been adopted by using sucrose as a fuel and nitric acid as an oxidizer to synthesize wollastonite. Calcium nitrate and tetraethyl orthosilicate were taken as the source of calcium and silicate. The obtained powders were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction to check the phase formation and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy for the identification of the characteristic functional group. The average particle size calculated by using Scherer's formula is 51.7 nm, and the lattice parameter values are found to be a = 15.4301 A, b = 7.3242 A, and c = 7.017 A. The phase transformation studies were carried out by using a thermogravimetric analyzer. The morphology of the pure wollastonite was imaged by using scanning...

Graphene/Gold Nanocomposites-Based Thin Films as an Enhanced Sensing Platform for Voltammetric Detection of Cr(VI) Ions

Abstract: A highly sensitive and selective Cr(VI) sensor with graphene-based nanocomposites film as an enhanced sensing platform is reported. The detection of chromium species is a challenging task because of the different possible oxidation states in which the element can occur. The sensing film was developed by homogenously distributing Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) onto the two-dimensional (2D) graphene nanosheet matrix by electrochemical method. Such nanostructured composite film platforms combine the advantages of AuNPs and graphene nanosheets because of the synergistic effect between them. This effect greatly facilitates the electron-transfer processes and the sensing behavior for Cr(VI) detection, leading to a remarkably improved sensitivity and selectivity. The interference from other heavy metal ions is studied in detail. Such sensing elements are very promising for practical environmental monitoring applications.

Combustion Synthesis of Graphene from Waste Paper for High Performance Supercapacitor Electrodes

Abstract: Incessant streak of unsuccessful attempts to synthesize low cost graphene with larger flake size and purity is frequently reported. Any reported methods that result in few layers of graphene with minimal contamination are definitive to exist. In this work, graphene was prepared economically from source of “paper” and detailed investigation was done on the effect of synthesizing parameters like paper source, temperature and amount of urea in the formation of graphene. This is a cost effective method, in which the paper that we use in our daily life was carbonized with the help of urea at a temperature of 850∘C under N2 atmosphere. The paper source was varied, shape of the paper was altered and the graphene paper with large surface area was synthesized without smudging and the prepared graphene paper was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for its structural, morphological investigation. To test the supercapacitance performance, electrochemical behavior was investigated i...

Tunable passively Q-switched ytterbium-doped fiber laser using MoWS2/rGO nanocomposite saturable absorber

Abstract: We demonstrated a tunable Q-switched ytterbium-doped fiber laser (YDFL) using MoWS2/rGO nanocomposite as passive saturable absorber. Further, the Mo1−xWxS2/rGO nanosheets, with x proportion of 0.2, are synthesized using hydrothermal exfoliation technique. The proposed nanocomposite-PVA based thin film is fabricated by mixing the MoWS2/rGO nanosheets with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The fabricated thin film is sandwiched between two fiber ferrules to realize the proposed saturable absorber (SA). Further, the proposed MoWS2/rGO-PVA based thin film SA exhibits a fast relaxation time and a high damage threshold which are suitable to realize a Q-switched pulsed laser with a tunable wavelength range of 10 nm that extends from 1028 nm to 1038 nm. For the highest pump power of 267.4 mW, the generated Q-switched pulses exhibit a narrow pulse width of 1.22 μs, the pulse repetition rate of 90.4 kHz, the highest pulse energy of 2.13 nJ and its corresponding average power of 0.193 mW. To the best of author’s knowledge, this is the first realization of a tunable Q-switching fiber laser in a 1 μm wavelength using MoWS2/rGO nanocomposite saturable absorber.

Physical Modeling of p -Type Fluorinated Al-Doped Tin-Oxide Thin Film Transistors

Abstract: Fabrication, physical modeling and dynamic response of p-type Al-doped SnOx active channel thin film transistors (TFTs) are presented for the potential application of ultra-high definition (UHD) displays. After deposition of Al-doped SnOx active layer using reactive co-sputtering, the channel was treated with plasma fluorination which improve the device performance of high ION/IOFF ratio of > 106, low subthreshold swing of ~100 mV/dec and high field-effect mobility (μFE) of 4.8 cm 2 V -1 s -1 . To understand the origin of such high performance, physical modeling and numerical simulations were performed using density of state (DOS) model of defects/traps of oxide semiconductor. This model describes the modifications of donor-like tail states and acceptor-like Gaussian defect states due to Al doping on SnO x and fluorine treatment. To evaluate the device performance for UHD large scale displays, the dynamic responses of p-type TFT pixel circuit for various requirements are simulated with physical models. These results suggest that the Al-doped SnO x TFTs are potential candidates for future high-definition displays and many applications in transparent electronics.

I and i

Abstract: There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality. Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

A Benchmark Study on the Thermal Conductivity of Nanofluids

Abstract: This article reports on the International Nanofluid Property Benchmark Exercise, or INPBE, in which the thermal conductivity of identical samples of colloidally stable dispersions of nanoparticles or “nanofluids,” was measured by over 30 organizations worldwide, using a variety of experimental approaches, including the transient hot wire method, steady-state methods, and optical methods. The nanofluids tested in the exercise were comprised of aqueous and nonaqueous basefluids, metal and metal oxide particles, near-spherical and elongated particles, at low and high particle concentrations. The data analysis reveals that the data from most organizations lie within a relatively narrow band (±10% or less) about the sample average with only few outliers. The thermal conductivity of the nanofluids was found to increase with particle concentration and aspect ratio, as expected from classical theory. There are (small) systematic differences in the absolute values of the nanofluid thermal conductivity among the various experimental approaches; however, such differences tend to disappear when the data are normalized to the measured thermal conductivity of the basefluid. The effective medium theory developed for dispersed particles by Maxwell in 1881 and recently generalized by Nan et al. [J. Appl. Phys. 81, 6692 (1997)], was found to be in good agreement with the experimental data, suggesting that no anomalous enhancement of thermal conductivity was achieved in the nanofluids tested in this exercise.

A review on detection of heavy metal ions in water – An electrochemical approach

Abstract: Most of the metal ions are carcinogens and lead to serious health concerns by producing free radicals. Hence, fast and accurate detection of metal ions has become a critical issue. Among various metal ions arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury and chromium are considered to be highly toxic. To detect these metal ions, electrochemical biosensors with interfaces such as microorganisms, enzymes, microspheres, nanomaterials like gold, silver nanoparticles, CNTs, and metal oxides have been developed. Among these, nanomaterials are considered to be most promising, owing to their strong adsorption, fast electron transfer kinetics, and biocompatibility, which are very apt for biosensing applications. The coupling of electrochemical techniques with nanomaterials has enhanced the sensitivity, limit of detection, and robustness of the sensors. In this review, toxicity mechanisms of various metal ions and their relationship towards the induction of oxidative stress have been summarized. Also, electrochemical biosensors employed in the detection of metal ions with various interfaces have been highlighted.