Currently, work is being carried out in our laboratory using chemically modified tips to evaluate the highly heterogeneous regions in polymer coatings. We are also involved in the characterization of the leachate that is formed upon exposure of coatings to aggressive environments. For some time, we have been investigating the structure-property relationship of renewable polymer composites. We have been able to simulate the statics and dynamics of degradation of polymer composite in a microbial environment. We have developed ASTM method to assay the degradation of composites.
Degradation obeys a power law time dependance.
We are currently formulating a broad spectrum of renewable composites for a wide range of short term applications. Recently we exploited the degradability of L-PLA in formulating degradable blast media for corroded coating delamination from metallic substrate. My group has also been involved in evaluating the mechanical properties of renewable composites and non-renewable composites. We have found interfacial chemistry to be important in achieving ductility of these composites. There is a strong dependance of toughening on morphology and concentration of toughening agent.