Executive Summary : | Objective: The main objective of the project is to develop paper-based analytical devices (µPADs) for the monitoring of pathogens, pesticides and toxins in water and food products including tea, dairy products, etc. The development of the QDs of the 2D nanosheets (graphene, h-BN, g-C3N4, MoS2, WS2) and their composites as a artificial nanozyme based on their peroxidase-like activity, fabrication of the inexpensive, simple paper-based nanosensor analytical device (µPADs) for the colorimetric detection of hazards contaminates in water and food products will be a novel approach in this project. Hence, monitoring the level of pathogens, pesticides and toxins in water and milk based food products using this simple technique is of vital importance for the the healthy human life in the modern society. Summary: 2D materials can potentially have applications in various fields including electronics, superconductors, sensing, catalysis, charge storage and energy conversion. Especially for electrochemical charge storage applications layered structures of electrochemically active 2D materials are found to be very efficient. Through this proposal we intend to explore a new class of 2D materials i.e. 2D transition metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides (referred as MXenes). MXenes have 2D lamellar structure and also possess surface hydrophilic property with good electrical conductivity. In addition, they can host several different cations between the layers. MXenes have general formula Mn+1XnT (n = 1, 2, 3), where M is an early transition metal, X denotes carbon or nitrogen and T represents surface functional groups. Usually they are produced by etching the “A” layer from their corresponding parent Mn+1AXn phases, wherein, A represents an element in the main group. But, the charge storage capacity of these materials is predicted to depend heavily on surface termination groups. Therefore, we have planned to explore various synthesis strategies to develop these MXene layered structures and tune their chemical, physical, electrochemical properties. In addition, this proposal also intends to look at developing the composites of these MXenes with other known 2D materials like BCN, Phosphorene and also with some unconventional 2D sheet like materials of metals and metal selenides. Though the focus of the proposal is on development of new class of 2D materials and understand their physicochemical, electronic, electrochemical properties; we will evaluate their application potential for charge. |