Dr Pratheep Kumar Annamalai
Dr

Pratheep Kumar Annamalai

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Background

Dr. Pratheep Annamalai is a polymer and nanomaterials scientist with a keen interest in engineering materials for sustainable living. He is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences. He has extensive expertise in both translational and fundamental research using nanotechnological tools towards sustainability. Currently, he is interested in alternative proteins and valorisation of agricultural crops and food waste into reactive, building blocks for improving the performance and utility of bioproducts. Thematically, his research focuses on

  • Food Processing (plant-based food products)
  • Bioproducts (from agri-food waste)
  • Sustainable building blocks (for advanced materials).

Before joining UQ, Pratheep studied Chemistry in University of Madras, received PhD in Chemistry from University of Pune (India), then went on to work as a postdoctoral researcher on hydrophobic membranes at the Université Montpellier II (France), and on ‘stimuli-responsive smart materials’ at the Adolphe Merkle Institute - Université de Fribourg (Switzerland).

Upon being instrumental in the discovery of ‘spinifex nanofibre nanotechnology’ and establishing Australia’s first nanocellulose pilot-plant, he has been awarded UQ Excellence awards for leadership and industry partnerships for 2019. Recognising his contribution to the nanomaterials, polymer nanocomposites, polymer degradation and stabilisation regionally and globally, he has been invited to serve as a committee member for ISO/TC229-WG2 for characterisation of nanomaterials (2016), a mentor in TAPPI mentoring program (2018), guest/academic editor for various journals (Fibres, Int. J Polymer Science, PLOS One). He has served as a member of the UQ-LNR ethics committee for reviewing the applications (2017-) and a member of the AIBN-ECR committee in 2014.

Availability

Dr Pratheep Kumar Annamalai is:
Not available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences Bioprocessing, bioproduction and bioproducts Chemical Sciences Civil engineering Composite and hybrid materials Construction materials Crop and pasture biomass and bioproducts Crop and pasture production Engineering Food sciences Forestry biomass and bioproducts Forestry sciences Functional materials Industrial biotechnology Macromolecular and materials chemistry Materials engineering Nanomaterials Non-Newtonian fluid flows (incl. rheology) Polymers and plastics Timber, pulp and paper Wood fibre processing Wood processing

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science, University of Madras
  • Masters (Research) of Science, University of Madras
  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Pune

Research interests

  • Bioproducts / Sustainable Building Products

    * Agri-food waste recycling & upcycling for circular economy * Nanocellulose from non-wood sources, fundamentals, and applications * Recovery of value-added materials from biomass

  • Engineered Materials (2012-2023)

    * The use of lignocellulose biomass and natural oils in insulation foams * Engineering the microstructure of foam for improving performance * Spinifex-based advanced materials * Elastomers and gels Advance Queensland Research (2016-2019) * Nanoparticles for improving performance and sustainability of cementitious materials (cement, mortar, concrete, and gypsum) * Nano-modified and polymer-modified bituminous materials ARC-Discovery Project (2015-2018) * Lignocellulose carbon precursors (fibre and anode material) UQ-Dow Centre (2014-2015) * Chemically engineering polyethylene for carbon fibre TenasiTech Pty Ltd (2012-2014) * Clay reinforced polymer nanocomposites * Polyurethanes: insulation foams, barrier sheets, golf balls and durable seals Acrylics: Anti-scratch materials

Research impacts

Spinifex nanofibre nanotechnology The spinifex nanofibre nanotechnology has led to: 1) the benefit-sharing landmark agreement between Indigenous Australian community and UQ in 2015 ensuring the ongoing equity and involvement of their indigenous community in the project, 2) establishment of first nanocellulose pilot-scale plant in UQ Long Pocket Precinct with a 5kg/day production capacity by the support of both state and federal governments, and 3) promotion of the systematic harvesting of spinifex grass in regional Australia potentially providing training, jobs, and education in regional Australia, aligning with the major effort 'Closing the gap' by government. Over last seven years, this partnership has single-mindedly supported further R&D for utilising it as renewable functional additive for improving strength and durability of a wide range of materials spanning from rubber, recycled papers to building materials like cement and concrete.

Industry engagement

  • Dugalanji Aboriginal Corporation
  • Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR)
  • Australian Road Research Board
  • Dow Chemicals USA (polyethylene)
  • TenasiTech Pty Ltd (Nanoclay Nanotech)

Pre-UQ

  • Polyurethane-Cellulose nanocrystals nanocomposites based Shape Memory Effect had become the thrust of further research and funding.

Search Professor Pratheep Kumar Annamalai’s works on UQ eSpace

145 works between 2003 and 2025
All (145) Journal Article (90) Book Chapter (10) Conference Publication (42) Book (1) Other Outputs (2)

61 - 80 of 145 works

2018

Journal Article

Chitosan-based bionanocomposites for biomedical application

Kumari, Sangeeta, Singh, Raj Pal, Chavan, Nayaku N. and Annamalai, Pratheep K. (2018). Chitosan-based bionanocomposites for biomedical application. Bioinspired, Biomimetic and Nanobiomaterials, 7 (4), 219-227. doi: 10.1680/jbibn.15.00015

Chitosan-based bionanocomposites for biomedical application

2018

Journal Article

Facile tuning of the surface energy of cellulose nanofibers for nanocomposite reinforcement

Hosseinmardi, Alireza, Annamalai, Pratheep Kumar, Martine, Benoit, Pennells, Jordan, Martin, Darren J. and Amiralian, Nasim (2018). Facile tuning of the surface energy of cellulose nanofibers for nanocomposite reinforcement. ACS Omega, 3 (11), 15933-15942. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.8b02104

Facile tuning of the surface energy of cellulose nanofibers for nanocomposite reinforcement

2018

Journal Article

Polymer Nanocomposites Characterization: Atomic Layer Deposition of Metal Oxide on Nanocellulose for Enabling Microscopic Characterization of Polymer Nanocomposites (Small 46/2018)

Septevani, Athanasia A., Evans, David A. C., Hosseinmardi, Alireza, Martin, Darren J., Simonsen, John, Conley, John F. and Annamalai, Pratheep K. (2018). Polymer Nanocomposites Characterization: Atomic Layer Deposition of Metal Oxide on Nanocellulose for Enabling Microscopic Characterization of Polymer Nanocomposites (Small 46/2018). Small, 14 (46), 1870217. doi: 10.1002/smll.201870217

Polymer Nanocomposites Characterization: Atomic Layer Deposition of Metal Oxide on Nanocellulose for Enabling Microscopic Characterization of Polymer Nanocomposites (Small 46/2018)

2018

Journal Article

Atomic layer deposition of metal oxide on nanocellulose for enabling microscopic characterization of polymer nanocomposites

Septevani, Athanasia A., Evans, David A. C., Hosseinmardi, Alireza, Martin, Darren J., Simonsen, John, Conley, John F. and Annamalai, Pratheep K. (2018). Atomic layer deposition of metal oxide on nanocellulose for enabling microscopic characterization of polymer nanocomposites. Small, 14 (46) 1803439, e1803439. doi: 10.1002/smll.201803439

Atomic layer deposition of metal oxide on nanocellulose for enabling microscopic characterization of polymer nanocomposites

2018

Journal Article

A simple methodology for improving the performance and sustainability of rigid polyurethane foam by incorporating industrial lignin

Hayati, Amir Nemati, Evans, David Alwyn Charles, Laycock, Bronwyn, Martin, Darren James and Annamalai, Pratheep Kumar (2018). A simple methodology for improving the performance and sustainability of rigid polyurethane foam by incorporating industrial lignin. Industrial Crops and Products, 117, 149-158. doi: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2018.03.006

A simple methodology for improving the performance and sustainability of rigid polyurethane foam by incorporating industrial lignin

2018

Journal Article

Hybrid polyether-palm oil polyester polyol based rigid polyurethane foam reinforced with cellulose nanocrystal

Septevani, Athanasia A., Evans, David A.C., Martin, Darren J. and Annamalai, Pratheep K. (2018). Hybrid polyether-palm oil polyester polyol based rigid polyurethane foam reinforced with cellulose nanocrystal. Industrial Crops and Products, 112, 378-388. doi: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2017.12.032

Hybrid polyether-palm oil polyester polyol based rigid polyurethane foam reinforced with cellulose nanocrystal

2018

Conference Publication

Carbon fibre precursors based on spinifex nanofibres reinforced polyacrylonitrile composites

Jiang, Edward, Amiralian, Nasim, Laycock, Bronwyn, Martin, Darren and Annamalai, Pratheep Kumar (2018). Carbon fibre precursors based on spinifex nanofibres reinforced polyacrylonitrile composites. The 11th Asian-Australasian Conference on Composite Materials (ACCM11), Cairns, QLD, Australia, 29 July -1 August 2018.

Carbon fibre precursors based on spinifex nanofibres reinforced polyacrylonitrile composites

2018

Conference Publication

Elastomers reinforcement using cellulose nanofibre

Amiralian, Nasim, Hosseinmardi, Alireza , Martine, Benoit, Annamalai, Pratheep Kumar and Martin, Darren (2018). Elastomers reinforcement using cellulose nanofibre. The 11th Asian-Australasian Conference on Composite Materials (ACCM11), Cairns, QLD, Australia, 29 July 2018 - 1 August 2018.

Elastomers reinforcement using cellulose nanofibre

2018

Conference Publication

Australian native Spinifex grass for improving the sustainability and performance of materials

Annamalai, Pratheep K., Amiralian, Nasim, Hosseinmardi, Alireza, Jiang, Edward and Marin, Darren (2018). Australian native Spinifex grass for improving the sustainability and performance of materials. Sixth International Conference on Natural Polymers 2018, Kottayam, 7-9 December 2018.

Australian native Spinifex grass for improving the sustainability and performance of materials

2017

Journal Article

Influence of moisture dependency of pressboard on transformer winding clamping pressure

Naranpanawe, Lakshitha, Ekanayake, Chandima, Annamalai, Pratheep K. and Saha, Tapan Kumar (2017). Influence of moisture dependency of pressboard on transformer winding clamping pressure. IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, 24 (5) 8120379, 3191-3200. doi: 10.1109/TDEI.2017.006206

Influence of moisture dependency of pressboard on transformer winding clamping pressure

2017

Journal Article

Reinforcement of natural rubber latex using lignocellulosic nanofibers isolated from spinifex grass

Hosseinmardi, Alireza, Annamalai, Pratheep K., Wang, Lianzhou, Martin, Darren and Amiralian, Nasim (2017). Reinforcement of natural rubber latex using lignocellulosic nanofibers isolated from spinifex grass. Nanoscale, 9 (27), 9510-9519. doi: 10.1039/c7nr02632c

Reinforcement of natural rubber latex using lignocellulosic nanofibers isolated from spinifex grass

2017

Journal Article

High aspect ratio nanocellulose from an extremophile spinifex grass by controlled acid hydrolysis

Amiralian, Nasim, Annamalai, Pratheep, Garvey, Christopher, Jiang, Edward, Memmott, Paul and Martin, Darren (2017). High aspect ratio nanocellulose from an extremophile spinifex grass by controlled acid hydrolysis. Cellulose, 24 (9), 3753-3766. doi: 10.1007/s10570-017-1379-6

High aspect ratio nanocellulose from an extremophile spinifex grass by controlled acid hydrolysis

2017

Journal Article

Spinifex nanocellulose derived hard carbon anodes for high-performance sodium-ion batteries

Gaddam, Rohit Ranganathan, Jiang, Edward, Amiralian, Nasim, Annamalai, Pratheep K., Martin, Darren J., Kumar, Nanjundan Ashok and Zhao, X. S. (2017). Spinifex nanocellulose derived hard carbon anodes for high-performance sodium-ion batteries. Sustainable Energy & Fuels, 1 (5), 1090-1097. doi: 10.1039/c7se00169j

Spinifex nanocellulose derived hard carbon anodes for high-performance sodium-ion batteries

2017

Journal Article

Cellulose nanofibers as rheology modifiers and enhancers of carbonization efficiency in polyacrylonitrile

Jiang, Edward , Amiralian, Nasim, Maghe, Maxime, Laycock, Bronwyn, McFarland, Eric, Fox, Bronwyn, Martin, Darren J. and Annamalai, Pratheep K. (2017). Cellulose nanofibers as rheology modifiers and enhancers of carbonization efficiency in polyacrylonitrile. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 5 (4), 3296-3304. doi: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.6b03144

Cellulose nanofibers as rheology modifiers and enhancers of carbonization efficiency in polyacrylonitrile

2017

Conference Publication

Nanocellulose as a sustainable nanoadditive for polymer, building and construction materials

Septevani, Athanasia A., Mohd Amin, Khairatun Najwa, Evans, David A. C., Amiralian, Nasim, Pooley, Liam, Ho, Johnny, Shao, Liying, Martin, Darren J. and Annamalai, Pratheep Kumar (2017). Nanocellulose as a sustainable nanoadditive for polymer, building and construction materials. 2017 International Conference on BioNano Innovation, Brisbane, Australia, 24-27 September 2017.

Nanocellulose as a sustainable nanoadditive for polymer, building and construction materials

2017

Conference Publication

Cellulose nanofibres from spinifex arid grasses

Amiralian, Nasim, Annamalai, Pratheep K. and Martin, Darren (2017). Cellulose nanofibres from spinifex arid grasses. 2017 International Conference on Bionano Innovation, Brisbane, 24-27 September 2017.

Cellulose nanofibres from spinifex arid grasses

2017

Book Chapter

Conducting polymer-graphite binary and hybrid composites: structure, properties, and applications

Ramanujam, B. T. S. and Annamalai, Pratheep K. (2017). Conducting polymer-graphite binary and hybrid composites: structure, properties, and applications. Hybrid polymer composite materials: applications. (pp. 1-34) edited by Vijay Kumar Thakur, Manju Kumari Thakur and Asokan Pappu. Duxford, United Kingdom: Woodhead Publishing. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-08-100785-3.00001-2

Conducting polymer-graphite binary and hybrid composites: structure, properties, and applications

2017

Journal Article

Cellulose nanocrystals with enhanced thermal stability reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane

Khairatun Najwa, Mohd Amin, Annamalai, Pratheep Kumar and Martin, Darren (2017). Cellulose nanocrystals with enhanced thermal stability reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane. The Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences, 21 (3), 754-761. doi: 10.17576/mjas-2017-2103-25

Cellulose nanocrystals with enhanced thermal stability reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane

2017

Conference Publication

Synthesis and characterization of cellulose nanocrystals as reinforcing agent in solely palm based polyurethane foam

Septevani, Athanasia Amanda, Annamalai, Pratheep K. and Martin, Darren J. (2017). Synthesis and characterization of cellulose nanocrystals as reinforcing agent in solely palm based polyurethane foam. 3rd International Symposium on Applied Chemistry (ISAC), Jakarta, Indonesia, 23 - 24 October 2017. Melville, NY, United States: A I P Publishing LLC. doi: 10.1063/1.5011899

Synthesis and characterization of cellulose nanocrystals as reinforcing agent in solely palm based polyurethane foam

2017

Conference Publication

Improving sustainability and performance of the rigid polyurethane foam by lignin with enhanced dispersion and dissolution

Hayati, Amir Nemati, Evans, David, Laycock, Bronwyn, Martin, Darren J. and Annamalai, Pratheep Kumar (2017). Improving sustainability and performance of the rigid polyurethane foam by lignin with enhanced dispersion and dissolution. 2017 International Conference on Bionano Innovation, Brisbane, Australia, 24-27 September 2017.

Improving sustainability and performance of the rigid polyurethane foam by lignin with enhanced dispersion and dissolution

Past funding

  • 2019 - 2020
    Addressing bio-composite technology gaps
    Composites Innovation Centre Manitoba Inc
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2021
    Preparation of Nanocellulose & Nanocomposites as Multifunctional Materials derived from Biomass towards Sustainable Developments (SPARC grant administered by Jamia Millia Islamia)
    Jamia Millia Islamia
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2019
    Advance Queensland Research Fellowship (Mid): Easily deconstructed spinifex nanofibres for the enhancement of high performance construction materials
    Advance Queensland Research Fellowships
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2018
    High performance sustainable carbon fibres from Australian spinifex grass
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Availability

Dr Pratheep Kumar Annamalai is:
Not available for supervision

Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Dr Pratheep Kumar Annamalai directly for media enquiries about:

  • Construction Materials
  • Nanocellulose
  • Nanomaterials
  • Nanotechnology
  • Polymers
  • Renewable Resources
  • Spinifex
  • Sustainable
  • Sustainable materials
  • Waste Recycling

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