Research Projects

The urgent global demand for clean, renewable, and sustainable technologies has driven significant research into eco-friendly solutions for electrochemical energy storage devices and electrochemical sensors. Supercapacitors as energy storage devices are particularly attractive because of their high power density, fast charging, long cyclability, and safety. Simultaneously, electrochemical biosensors are popular due to their real-time, sensitive, and cost-effective detection of biomolecules in biomedical applications, food analysis, and environmental monitoring. However, the widespread adoption of these electrochemical energy and sensing devices is hindered by the environmental concerns and high expenses associated with traditional fossil-based or synthetic electrode materials. Further, conventional supercapacitors have low energy density, which limits their suitability for applications demanding high energy output. Therefore, there is a critical demand to develop novel high-performance electrode materials that are sustainable, economic, and environmentally friendly. One promising approach involves the utilization of biowaste-derived porous carbon materials to fabricate high-performance green electrodes for safe supercapacitors and electrochemical biosensors. Biomass is a naturally abundant and sustainable source of carbon that can also be engineered in the form of composites with metal oxides to achieve high surface area with optimum porosity, high redox activity and active sites, and excellent electrical conductivity in both energy storage systems and health sensors. This proposal is based on the concept of converting ayurvedic medicinal biomass, Bael fruit (Aegle marmelos) waste, and organic molecules, Triphala powder consisting of Bibhitaki (Terminalia bellirica), Haritaki (Terminalia chebula), and Amalaki (Phyllanthus emblica), into valuable materials for novel and eco-friendly electrochemical biosensors and supercapacitor devices. Carbonaceous materials extracted from these Ayurvedic biomasses and their composites are largely unexplored in flexible supercapacitors and electrochemical biosensors. Additionally, we will synthesize hybrid composites by integrating these biowaste-based carbon materials with transition metal oxides, such as ZnO, TiO2, Fe2O3, and SnO2. This approach will enhance the material’s electronic conductivity, surface wettability, and electrochemical activity, thereby improving overall performance. Beyond novel material synthesis, the project proposes to extend the application of these green electrode materials in two major applications: 1) flexible solid-state supercapacitors having energy density within 10-20 Wh/kg, and 2) novel electrochemical sensors for the detection of glucose and H2O2, having high sensitivity and selectivity. The proposed project contributes to the objectives of the circular economy by converting Ayurvedic biowaste into high-value functional materials for energy and healthcare technologies.