Chemistry, Materials Science, Polymers and Plastics, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
24
Scopus Publications
222
Scholar Citations
10
Scholar h-index
11
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Beyond durability: the transformative journey of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites through advanced interfacial engineering, self-healing, and vitrimer-enabled recycling Samir Mandal, Ashis Halder, Bhashkar Singh Bohra, Ketaki Samanta, Anju C S, Subodh Kumar, Suryasarathi Bose Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials, 2026 Carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy (CFRE) composites have become indispensable in high-performance structural applications in aerospace and automotive sectors due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and robust environmental resistance. However, they have a few limitations, such as inherent susceptibility to damage, limited reparability, and a lack of effective recyclability at the end-of-life. These limitations prevent their sustainable adaptation, perpetuating a linear economy paradigm. This comprehensive and critical review delves into the cutting-edge advancements made to address the limitations of CFRE composites. We rigorously evaluate the synergistic integration of nanomaterials and advanced interfacial engineering strategies designed to address these issues. The diverse nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), graphene oxide (GO), nanosilica, and nanoclay, together with advanced interfacial modification techniques, significantly improve the properties of CFRE composites. Furthermore, this review delves into the evolving field of various self-healing mechanisms, such as- reversible Diels-Alder (DA) bonds, microencapsulated healing agents, vascularized networks, aimed at autonomously restoring structural integrity and extending operational lifespan Finally, we also look in to the formidable challenge of end-of-life by analyzing emerging recycling methodologies and highlighting the paradigm-shifting vitrimer concept, which enables the reprocessability of traditionally non-recyclable thermoset matrices. By providing an insightful, forward-looking analysis of these interconnected multifunctional enhancements and sustainable pathways, this review not only synthesizes the state-of-the-art but also delineates potential research directions. We aim to lay a robust roadmap for the establishment of truly enhanced, autonomously reparable, and environmentally friendly CFRE composites, promoting a circular economy.
One Molecule, Two Roles: Vitrimer-Enabled Polypropylene for High-Performance, Recyclable MWCNT Nanocomposites Ketaki Samanta, Indranil Dey, Tamalika Ash, Bhashkar Singh Bohra, Suryasarathi Bose Small, 2026 Transforming post‐consumer recycled polypropylene (PCR PP) into high‐performance, recyclable vitrimer nanocomposites represents a major step toward sustainable polymer engineering. This study presents a scalable, catalyst‐driven transesterification strategy using bis(2‐hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET, derived from depolymerized PET waste) and zinc acetate to generate dynamic covalent adaptable networks (CANs) within PCR PP. BHET serves a dual function: enabling dynamic crosslinking to form a robust vitrimer matrix and promoting efficient dispersion and interfacial adhesion of multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) through strong non‐covalent interactions, supported by computational modeling. Although BHET can hydrogen‐bond with itself, potentially reducing vitrimerization efficiency, this effect is suppressed in the presence of MWCNTs, as computational results confirm. The resulting nanocomposites show marked improvements in mechanical strength, thermal stability, and electrical conductivity at low MWCNT loadings. Rheological studies reveal enhanced melt strength and viscoelastic stability, while AC conductivity measurements indicate a well‐developed conductive network. Thermal analyses demonstrate controlled crystallinity, with MWCNTs acting as effective nucleating agents. Importantly, reprocessing tests show excellent retention of properties, highlighting their suitability for circular‐economy‐driven applications. This work establishes a new paradigm for upcycling plastic waste into advanced, recyclable materials by uniting dynamic crosslinking with nanofiller reinforcement.
Dynamic Polymer Networks: Key to Recyclable Polyolefins Indranil Dey, Ketaki Samanta, Suryasarathi Bose ACS Sustainable Resource Management, 2025 Dynamic polymer networks transform polyolefin waste into reprocessable vitrimers through reactive extrusion, reducing the environmental plastic burden while enabling circular resource utilization and sustainable material life cycles.
Closed loop recycling of functional carbon fiber epoxy laminates Samir Mandal, Ketaki Samanta, Tanay Debnath, Anju C. S., Subodh Kumar, Suryasarathi Bose Communications Materials, 2025 High-performance carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy (CFRE) composites perpetuate a linear economy due to the inherent challenges in recycling their crosslinked matrices. This work presents the development of an advanced, multifunctional CFRE laminate with inherent closed-loop recyclability, enabled by a novel, environmentally benign recycling protocol: the “SaLSO” which utilizes a seawater-derived aqueous medium enriched with naturally occurring citric acid. A dual-functionalization strategy was employed using polyetherimide-modified graphene oxide (GO) as a carbon fiber sizing agent and hydroxyl-functionalized GO uniformly dispersed within the epoxy matrix. Density functional theory (DFT) confirmed strong, multidimensional non-covalent interactions between the GO variants, resulting in significant mechanical enhancement, including a 44% increase in flexural strength and a 41% increase in interlaminar shear strength (ILSS). The laminate also demonstrated inherent self-healing capability with a 61% recovery in ILSS, excellent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness of 49 dB, and rapid deicing performance in 45 seconds via Joule heating. The recovered materials were successfully used to refabricate the laminate with retained performance, establishing a promising pathway toward a sustainable, circular composite economy. Carbon fiber epoxy composites offer high performance but are difficult to recycle due to their crosslinked structure. Here, a multifunctional laminate with self-healing and EMI shielding properties is developed, enabling closed-loop recycling using a green aqueous solution
Graphene Oxide Pre-Installed with a Covalent Adaptable Network Resulted in a “Nacre-Like” and “Self-Healable” Multi-Layered Interface in Carbon Fiber Laminates Samir Mandal, Ketaki Samanta, Tanay Debnath, Subodh Kumar, Suryasarathi Bose Small Methods, 2025 This study presents the development of a thermally stable carbon fiber‐reinforced epoxy (CFRE) laminate incorporating functional graphene oxide (hGO) and a covalent adaptable network (CAN) to improve interfacial adhesion. Traditional methods, such as nanoflake dispersion or fiber surface modification, have limitations in achieving optimal mechanical reinforcement. The laminate features a multi‐layered, “nacre‐like” interface stabilized through non‐covalent interactions, as supported by density functional theory (DFT) studies. DFT indicates that both polar (electrostatic) and non‐polar (π–π) interactions are key to enhancing interfacial strength. A polyetherimide‐based sizing agent (BA) with dynamic disulfide bonds is synthesized and applied to carbon fiber (CF) mats to improve bonding. The laminate (BA‐CFRE‐hGO) is fabricated via vacuum‐assisted resin transfer molding, combining BA‐coated CF mats with hGO‐dispersed epoxy. BA increases CF surface roughness, enhancing mechanical interlocking, while dynamic bonds in BA and hGO strengthen CF‐epoxy interactions, creating a “cemented” interface. Optimal BA and hGO concentrations yield a 37% increase in interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), 38% in flexural strength (FS), and a 190% improvement in storage modulus. SEM confirms improved adhesion, and the laminate shows self‐healing (57% ILSS recovery), high electromagnetic shielding (∼48 dB at 8.2 GHz), and fast deicing performance, indicating strong potential for aerospace applications.
Dynamic Cross-Linker Facilitates a Closed-Loop Circular Economy in Upcycled Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Siddhesh Sadashiv Rege, Indranil Dey, Vimal Kumar S, Neetika Singh, Ashok Misra, Ketaki Samanta, Suryasarathi Bose ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 2025 With an increase in the production of plastics in the previous decade, the management of plastic waste has become an increasingly important topic for researchers to deal with. Plastic recycling, although a very prominent option, has its limitations by way of poor mechanical integrity of recycled plastic compared to virgin plastic, which severely limits the applications of this recycled plastic. To facilitate closed-loop recycling in thermoplastics, scientists have increasingly turned to dynamic covalent bonds (DCBs) as a potential solution. Incorporating DCB’s into commercially available plastics to convert them into vitrimers improves the mechanical integrity of plastics and preserves them during the recycling process. In this study, we convert acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) into vitrimers via reactive extrusion, which is a facile and industrially scalable method widely employed in the polymer industry. The vitrimerization process was carried out by cross-linking ABS with a commercially available polyepoxide resin, 4,4′-methylenebis(N,N-diglycidylaniline) (TGDDM). The vitrimers showed a significant improvement in the ultimate tensile strength (approximately 44%) and high retention of mechanical and thermal properties after three reprocessing runs. Additionally, the vitrimers showed good dimensional stability, good thermal stability, and fast stress relaxation at elevated temperatures. This strategy can potentially be used for recycled ABS to convert them into closed-loop recyclable plastics using commercially available cross-linkers.
‘Vitrimer nanocomposites’ derived from graphene oxide and post-consumer recycled polypropylene Indranil Dey, Debashrita Kundu, Sayon Ghosh, Samir Mandal, Ketaki Samanta, Suryasarathi Bose Nanoscale Advances, 2025 Post-consumer recycled polypropylene (PCR PP) is promising for sustainable applications, yet its limitations in electrical conductivity and mechanical properties require modifications.
Closed loop recycling of functional carbon fiber epoxy laminates S Mandal, K Samanta, T Debnath, A CS, S Kumar, S Bose Communications Materials 6 (1), 234 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Green Tyres K Manna, I Dey, K Samanta, C Wan 2025
The conformational preference of dynamic crosslinker modulates the ‘closed-loop’circular economy in polypropylene vitrimer I Dey, K Samanta, S Ghosh, T Debnath, S Mandal, SS Rege, SV Kumar, ... Chemical Engineering Journal 504, 158696 , 2025 2025 Citations: 9
‘Vitrimer nanocomposites’ derived from graphene oxide and post-consumer recycled polypropylene I Dey, D Kundu, S Ghosh, S Mandal, K Samanta, S Bose Nanoscale Advances 7 (10), 2904-2915 , 2025 2025 Citations: 9
Closed-loop circular economy in ‘upcycled’acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene vitrimer SS Rege, I Dey, RS Gupta, R Jose, A Misra, K Manna, K Samanta, S Bose European Polymer Journal 220, 113451 , 2024 2024 Citations: 10
Click Chemistry in Designing Vitrimers: A New Class of Potential Sustainable Materials S Sadashiv Rege, M Ajnas N, K Manna, K Samanta, S Bose 2024
Click Chemistry in Designing Vitrimers: A New Class of Potential Sustainable Materials S Rege, M Ajnas N, K Manna, K Samanta, S Bose RSC Polymer Chemistry Series 39 (doi.org/10.1039/9781839169885-00451), 451-482 , 2024 2024
Upcycling Post-Consumer Recycled Polypropylene Using a “Tailor-Made” Dynamic Cross-Linker with Controlled “Cross-Link Distribution” I Dey, K Samanta, SS Rege, S Mandal, SS Islam, R Sen Gupta, A Malakar, ... ACS Sustainable Resource Management 1 (10), 2241-2254 , 2024 2024 Citations: 14
A 2.5 V In‐Plane Flexi‐Pseudocapacitor with Unprecedented Energy and Cycling Efficiency for All‐Weather Applications P Thippeswamy, K Samanta, V Arya, D Biswas, HS Kim, C Bakli, HY Jung, ... Small 20 (34), 2400975 , 2024 2024 Citations: 11
Upcycling of Thermoplastic Polyolefins (TPOs) and Multi -Layer Plastic (MLP) wastes Using Vitrimer Chemistries K Samanta, I Dey, S Ghosh, V Kumar, S Rege, A Misra, S Bose IN Patent App. MS-MAT-2024-058 , 2024 2024
Self-healable interfaces with improved mechanical properties induced by dynamic network reconfiguration in carbon fibre-reinforced epoxy laminates S Mandal, R Raj, K Samanta, S Kumar, S Bose ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces , 2024 2024 Citations: 17
Compositionally complex ball-in-ball type metal oxide anode via laser-induced fast fabrication for binder-free high-capacity Li-ion batteries HK Beere, NS Reddy, P Kulkarni, K Samanta, HY Jung, D Ghosh Journal of Energy Storage 80, 110325 , 2024 2024 Citations: 21
Nanoscale profiles: contributors to the 2024 Emerging Investigators collection A Scholar Nanoscale 16, 14537-14573 , 2024 2024
GO-tagged PEI sizing agent imparts self-healing and excellent mechanical properties to carbon fiber reinforced epoxy laminates S Mandal, K Samanta, K Manna, S Kumar, S Bose Nanoscale (Emerging Investigators -2024 Themed Collection) 16 (14), 6984-6998 , 2024 2024 Citations: 17
Upcycling PCR Polypropylene using modified bio-based oil as a dynamic crosslinker K Samanta, S Rege, I Dey, SP Singh, A Misra, S Bose IN Patent App. MS-MAT-2023-072 , 2023 2023
Graphene oxide offers precise molecular sieving, structural integrity, microplastic removal, and closed-loop circularity in water-remediating membranes through covalent … RS Gupta, S Mandal, A Malakar, S Rege, SS Islam, K Samanta, A Misra, ... Journal of Materials Chemistry A , 2023 2023 Citations: 24
Does the varying reactivity in the transient polymer network through dynamic exchange regulate the closed-loop circularity in polyolefin Vitrimers? I Dey, M Ajnas N, S Rege, SS Islam, A Misra, K Samanta, K Manna, ... ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces , 2023 2023 Citations: 28
Method Of Recycling Post-Consumer Recycled Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene And Vitrimer Composition K Samanta, S Rege, K Manna, I Dey, M Ajnas, R Jose, S Bose IN Patent MS-MAT-2023-058 , 2023 2023
Closed-loop Circularity in Polyolefin Vitrimers through Covalent Adaptive Network K Samanta, I Dey, S Bose RSC MASC Early Career Researcher Meeting , 2023 2023
Thermoplastic Polyolefin Vitrimer and Method of Production thereof K Samanta, I Dey, K Manna, M Ajnas, A Mishra, S Bose IN Patent MS-MAT-2022-105 , 2023 2023
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Does the varying reactivity in the transient polymer network through dynamic exchange regulate the closed-loop circularity in polyolefin Vitrimers? I Dey, M Ajnas N, S Rege, SS Islam, A Misra, K Samanta, K Manna, ... ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces , 2023 2023 Citations: 28
Graphene oxide offers precise molecular sieving, structural integrity, microplastic removal, and closed-loop circularity in water-remediating membranes through covalent … RS Gupta, S Mandal, A Malakar, S Rege, SS Islam, K Samanta, A Misra, ... Journal of Materials Chemistry A , 2023 2023 Citations: 24
Fabrication of an Energy-Dense, Binder-Free Zn//V5O12middot6H2O Solid-State In-Plane Flexible Battery via a Rapid and Scalable Approach P Yadav, NS Kotrappanavar, PB Naik, HK Beere, K Samanta, NS Reddy, ... ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS 6 (3), 1799-1809 , 2023 2023 Citations: 23
Compositionally complex ball-in-ball type metal oxide anode via laser-induced fast fabrication for binder-free high-capacity Li-ion batteries HK Beere, NS Reddy, P Kulkarni, K Samanta, HY Jung, D Ghosh Journal of Energy Storage 80, 110325 , 2024 2024 Citations: 21
Developing high-performance in-plane flexible aqueous zinc-ion batteries with laser-scribed carbon-supported all electrodeposited electrodes P Thippeswamy, PB Naik, HK Beere, NS Reddy, K Samanta, ... Langmuir 38 (51), 16203-16213 , 2022 2022 Citations: 18
Self-healable interfaces with improved mechanical properties induced by dynamic network reconfiguration in carbon fibre-reinforced epoxy laminates S Mandal, R Raj, K Samanta, S Kumar, S Bose ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces , 2024 2024 Citations: 17
GO-tagged PEI sizing agent imparts self-healing and excellent mechanical properties to carbon fiber reinforced epoxy laminates S Mandal, K Samanta, K Manna, S Kumar, S Bose Nanoscale (Emerging Investigators -2024 Themed Collection) 16 (14), 6984-6998 , 2024 2024 Citations: 17
Upcycling Post-Consumer Recycled Polypropylene Using a “Tailor-Made” Dynamic Cross-Linker with Controlled “Cross-Link Distribution” I Dey, K Samanta, SS Rege, S Mandal, SS Islam, R Sen Gupta, A Malakar, ... ACS Sustainable Resource Management 1 (10), 2241-2254 , 2024 2024 Citations: 14
A 2.5 V In‐Plane Flexi‐Pseudocapacitor with Unprecedented Energy and Cycling Efficiency for All‐Weather Applications P Thippeswamy, K Samanta, V Arya, D Biswas, HS Kim, C Bakli, HY Jung, ... Small 20 (34), 2400975 , 2024 2024 Citations: 11
Closed-loop circular economy in ‘upcycled’acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene vitrimer SS Rege, I Dey, RS Gupta, R Jose, A Misra, K Manna, K Samanta, S Bose European Polymer Journal 220, 113451 , 2024 2024 Citations: 10
Achieving favourable oxygen electrocatalytic activity with compositionally complex metal molybdates HK Beere, P Kulkarni, UN Maiti, RG Balakrishna, P Mukherjee, HY Jung, ... Sustainable Energy & Fuels 7 (17), 4303-4316 , 2023 2023 Citations: 10
The conformational preference of dynamic crosslinker modulates the ‘closed-loop’circular economy in polypropylene vitrimer I Dey, K Samanta, S Ghosh, T Debnath, S Mandal, SS Rege, SV Kumar, ... Chemical Engineering Journal 504, 158696 , 2025 2025 Citations: 9
‘Vitrimer nanocomposites’ derived from graphene oxide and post-consumer recycled polypropylene I Dey, D Kundu, S Ghosh, S Mandal, K Samanta, S Bose Nanoscale Advances 7 (10), 2904-2915 , 2025 2025 Citations: 9
Intermingled Network of Syndiotactic Polystyrene/Poly (3-hexylthiophene) K Samanta, JM Guenet, S Malik Macromolecules 52 (22), 8569-8576 , 2019 2019 Citations: 8
Closed loop recycling of functional carbon fiber epoxy laminates S Mandal, K Samanta, T Debnath, A CS, S Kumar, S Bose Communications Materials 6 (1), 234 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Molecular metal oxide cluster-soldered interpenetrating polymer network “hosts” carbon nanotube “guest” for green millimeter wave absorption K Manna, RS Gupta, S Mandal, A Swaminadhan, S Dutta, K Samanta, ... Journal of Materials Chemistry C 11 (42), 14725-14745 , 2023 2023 Citations: 1
Studies on Syndiotactic Polystyrene/Poly (3‐hexyl thiophene) Composite K Samanta, S Malik Macromolecular Symposia 369 (1), 81-86 , 2016 2016 Citations: 1
Green Tyres K Manna, I Dey, K Samanta, C Wan 2025
Click Chemistry in Designing Vitrimers: A New Class of Potential Sustainable Materials S Sadashiv Rege, M Ajnas N, K Manna, K Samanta, S Bose 2024
Click Chemistry in Designing Vitrimers: A New Class of Potential Sustainable Materials S Rege, M Ajnas N, K Manna, K Samanta, S Bose RSC Polymer Chemistry Series 39 (doi.org/10.1039/9781839169885-00451), 451-482 , 2024 2024