NANDIKA.DSOUZA
Natural Fibers and Carbon from Plants
Plant Biology
Microbial Biology
Chemistry
Collaborations
Patent
R. Dixon, Nandika D’Souza, C. Fang and M. Nar, Carbon fiber from poly caffeyl alcohol
(PCFA), United States Patent Application 20150354100 (2015)
Book chapters
N. A. D’Souza, M. S. Allen, K. Stevens, B. Ayre, D. K. Visi, S. Vidhate, I. Ghamarian, and
C. L. Webber III, Biocomposites: The Natural Fiber Contribution from Bast and Woody Plants . In: C.L.
Webber III and A. Liu (Eds.). Plant Fibers as Renewable Feedstocks for Biofuel and Bio-based
Products. CCG International Inc (2011)
Papers
1. M. Nar, H. R Rizvi, R. A. Dixon, F. Chen, A. Kovalcik, N. A. D'Souza, Superior plant based
carbon fibers from electronspun poly-(caffeyl alcohol) lignin, Carbon 103, 372-383 (2016)
2. D. Ramesh, B. G. Ayre, N. D'Souza, C. L. Webber III, Dynamic mechanical analysis, surface
chemistry and morphology of alkali and enzymatic retted kenaf fibers, Textile Research Journal, 85,
2059-2070 (2015)
3. C. Xia, A. C. Garcia, S. Q. Shi, Y. Qiu, N. Warner, Y. Yu, L. Cai, H. R. Rizvi, N. A. D’Souza,
X. Nie, Hybrid boron nitride-natural fiber composites for enhanced thermal conductivity, Scientific
Reports, 6 (2016)
4. B. Yang, M. Nar, D. K. Visi, M. Allen, B. Ayre, C. L. Webber III, Hongbing Lu, N. A. D’Souza,
Effects Of Chemical Versus Enzymatic Processing Of Kenaf Fibers On
Poly(Hydroxybutyrate-Co-Valerate)/Poly(Butylene Adipate-Co-Terephthalate) Composite Properties.
Composites B, 56, 926-933 (2014).
5. D. K. Visi, N. A. D’Souza, B. G, Ayre, C. L. Webber III, M. S. Allen, Investigation of the
bacterial retting community of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) under different conditions using
next-generation semiconductor sequencing, Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology, 40,
465-475 (2013)
6. CLI Webber, Rebecca Dickstein, BG Ayre, Nandika D'Souza, Kevin Stevens, Kent Chapman, Michael
Allen, Koffi Dagnon, Monoculture and polyculture: kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) and sunn hemp
(Crotalaria juncea), J. Environ. Monitoring Restoration, 7, 26-33 (2012)
7. S. M. Ogbomo, K. Chapman, C. Webber, R. Bledsoe, N. A. D’Souza, Benefits Of Low
Composites Of Poly (L-Lactide) And Kenaf Fiber , Journal
of Applied Polymer Science, 112, 1294-1301 (2009).
8. B. G. Ayre, K. Stevens, K. D. Chapman, C. L. Webber III, K. L. Dagnon, N. A.
D’Souza, Viscoelastic Properties of Kenaf Bast Fiber in Relation to Morphology of
Development , Textile Research Journal, 79, 973–980 (2009).
9. S. M. Ogbomo, B. Ayre , C. L. Webber III and N. A. D’Souza, Effect of Kenaf Fiber Age
on PLLA composite properties, Polymer Composites, 35, 915-924 (2014).
​
​
a. We analyzed plant fiber by age to establish a metric between height=>age of
the plant => elastic modulus.
b. We investigated an expensive solution using enzymes ($800/100gms) then
teamed with biologists to find a high throughput microbial approach
(2cents/100grams) approach. The new fiber had lower moisture absorption and
higher functional groups on the surface
c. She analyzed the challenges in producing high quality carbon from plant sources
and transitioned to a linear lignin chain that produced a highly crystalline, low
defect carbon
Foams using CO2
Papers
1. K. Oluwabunmi, N. A. D’Souza, W. Zhao, T. Y. Choi, T. Theyson, Compostable, fully
biobased foams using PLA and micro cellulose for zero energy buildings. Sci Rep 10, 17771
(2020).
2. E. Ogunsona, K. Dagnon, N. A. D’Souza, Multi-Fold Enhancement in Compressive
Properties of Polystyrene Foam Using Pre-delaminated Stearate Functionalized Layer
Double Hydroxides, Polymers 1, 8 (2020)
3. H. R. Rizvi, N. D’Souza, B. Ayre, D. Ramesh, Bioinspired cellular sheath-core electrospun
non-woven mesh, Emergent Materials, 2, 127–140 (2019)
4. Hussain R. Rizvi, Nandika Anne D’Souza “Design of a Multifunctional Porous Coaxial
Electrospun Mesh Using Poly-caprolactone (PCL) & Poly butylene adipate-co-therepthalate
(PBAT)”, Proceedings of the ASME 2016 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and
Exposition, IMECE2016, November 11-17, 2016, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
5. M. Nar, C. Webber III and N. A. D'Souza, Rigid polyurethane and kenaf core composite
foams, Polym. Eng. Sci. 55, 132–144 (2015).
6. E. Ogunsona and N. A. D’Souza, Characterization and mechanical properties of foamed
poly(É›-caprolactone and Mater-Bi blends using CO2 as blowing agPent, Journal of Cellular
Plastics, 51, 245–268 (2015)
7. Mangesh Nar, Andres Garcia, Charles Webber III and Nandika D'Souza, Structural, Thermal
and Acoustic Performance of Polyurethane Foams for Green Buildings, CAMX 2015, Dallas
8. H. R. Rizvi, Y. Mercier, T. Pukkrueapun, S. Nonting N. A. D’Souza, “Mechanical And
Thermal Properties Of Coaxial Electrospun Fibers Mesh Of Pcl-Pbat”, Proceedings of the
Annual Technical Conference of the Society of Plastics Engineers (2015)
9. E. Ogunsona, S. Ogbomo, M. Nar and N. A. D’Souza, Thermal and Mechanical Effects in
Polystyrene-Montmorillonite Nanocomposite Foams , Cellular Polymers, 30, 79-93 (2011)
10. W. Strauss and N. A. D'Souza, Polystyrene and montmorillonite nanocomposite supercritical
foams , J. Cellular Plastics, 40, 229 (2004).
11. W. Strauss, A. Ranade, N. A. D'Souza, R. F. Reidy, and M. Paceley, Preparation And
Characterization Of Supercritical Co2 Processed Polystyrene Nanocomposite Foams,
SAMPE 2003, Long Beach, California.
We balance
a) the need for sequestration
b) reduce emissions
creating functional products through harnessing the CO2 for manufacturing.