Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala University researcher M.S. Swapna has developed invisible ink and paint from soot which exhibits light-emitting properties suitable for making blue and white LEDs.
The International Journal of Fluorescence and Journal of Material Research Express published her work done under the guidance of nanotechnology department head, Prof S. Sankararaman.
The research scholar at the department of optoelectronics took up the challenge for the effective utilisation of futile diesel soot emitted from vehicles. The carbon nanoparticles (CNP) have been an interesting subject for the scientific community because of its excellent physical, chemical and biological properties.
Experts say her findings on the potential of soot for improving plant yield would be a great blessing for farmers.
The agricultural applications were published in the International Journal of Bionanoscience and the European Physical Journal Plus.
The constructive use of soots in 'remote sensing' was published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Photochemical and Photobiological Science.
The ink developed from soot has greater stability, and the paintings do not fade away.
Currently, she is engaged in making invisible ink for security applications, the first stage of which was completed and sent to international journals for publication.
The researcher also has 'soot' in different morphology for its diversified usages in photonic and electronic industries. Many say her research work has the potential of opening up new avenues for income generation for the transport corporation.
A large amount of soot KSRTC buses and other heavy as well as light motor vehicles pump out could be effectively utilised.
