Dr Hima Haridevan

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

School of Chemical Engineering

h.haridevan@uq.edu.au

Researcher biography

Dr Hima Haridevan is a translational materials scientist, who specializes in making bio-based materials more accessible and cost-effective for sustainable living using scalable and economical approaches. Her expertise lies in the valorization of engineering biomass and biomass resources such as cellulose and lignin, including agricultural waste, to produce green chemicals and bio-based polymer composites. These materials find applications in various fields including building materials, packaging, rheological modifiers, polymer processing, and agricultural products. Currently, her research focuses on bio-gel fertilizers and biomass-based mulch films.

Hima earned undergraduate and postgraduate engineering degrees in Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials Engineering from the SRM Institute of Science and Technology (India) and the University of Sheffield (UK), respectively. Before joining UQ, she participated in the Erasmus Mundus program as a visiting postgraduate student at Universite de Montpellier 2, Universite de Paul Sabatier in France, and the University of Chemical Technology in the Czech Republic.

Additionally, Hima serves as an associate lecturer for the Engineering Innovation and Leadership course (ENGG7902) and contributes as a content developer for Engineering the Circular Economy (ENVE4610).

Publications

Book Chapter (1)

Journal Articles (7)

Conference Papers (5)

Thesis (1)

Book Chapter

Haridevan, Hima, Septevani, Athanasia A., Evans, David A. C., Martin, Darren J. and Annamalai, Pratheep K. (2024). Polyurethane foam: the foaming process and the effect of process parameters on properties. Handbook of thermosetting foams, aerogels, and hydrogels: from fundamentals to advanced applications. (pp. 93-118) Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-323-99452-1.00021-8

Journal Articles

Haridevan, Hima, Evans, David A. C., Martin, Darren and Annamalai, Pratheep Kumar (2024). Dispersion engineering of cellulose nanofibres in polyols: for controlled microstructure of high-performance polyurethane insulation foam. Materials Advances, 5 (4), 1540-1551. doi: 10.1039/d3ma00865g

Haridevan, Hima, Barkauskas, Deborah, Sokolowski, Kamil A., Evans, David A.C., Martin, Darren J. and Annamalai, Pratheep K. (2023). X-ray tomographic reconstruction for understanding lignin-induced changes in the microstructure and properties of polyurethane insulation foam. ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 5 (9), 6772-6780. doi: 10.1021/acsapm.3c00380

Haridevan, Hima, Evans, David A.C., Martin, Darren J. and Annamalai, Pratheep K. (2022). Rational analysis of dispersion and solubility of Kraft lignin in polyols for polyurethanes. Industrial Crops and Products, 185 115129, 115129. doi: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2022.115129

Haridevan, Hima, Chaleat, Celine, Pooley, Liam, Evans, David A. C., Halley, Peter J., Martin, Darren J. and Annamalai, Pratheep K. (2022). Processing and rheological properties of polyol/cellulose nanofibre dispersions for polyurethanes. Polymer, 255 125130, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.polymer.2022.125130

Haridevan, Hima, Evans, David A. C., Ragauskas, Arthur, Martin, Darren and Annamalai, Pratheep Kumar (2021). Valorisation of technical lignin in rigid polyurethane foam: a critical evaluation on trends, guidelines and future perspectives. Green Chemistry, 23 (22), 8725-8753. doi: 10.1039/d1gc02744a

Haridevan, Hima, McLaggan, Martyn S., Evans, David A.C., Martin, Darren J., Seaby, Trent, Zhang, Zhanying and Annamalai, Pratheep K. (2021). Dispersion methodology for technical lignin into polyester polyol for high-performance polyurethane insulation foam. ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 3 (7) acsapm.1c00430, 3528-3537. doi: 10.1021/acsapm.1c00430

Subasri, R. and Hima, H. (2015). Investigations on the use of nanoclay for generation of superhydrophobic coatings. Surface and Coatings Technology, 264, 121-126. doi: 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2015.01.005

Conference Papers

Haridevan, Hima, Barkauskas, Deborah, Sokolowski, Kamil, Evans, David, Martin, Darren and Annamalai, Pratheep Kumar (2021). Microstructural analysis and 3D reconstruction of lignin based cellular polymeric foams using x-ray computed micro-tomography. International Conference on Materials Science and Engineering, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 11-14 October 2021. Brisbane, Australia:

Haridevan, Hima, Birnie, David, Evans, David A.C., Martin, Darren J. and Annamalai, Pratheep K. (2021). Enhanced dispersion of lignin in PET polyols for improved thermal insulation of polyurethane foams. SPE-ANTEC 2021, Virtual, 10-21 May 2021. Danbury, CT, United States: SPE.

Haridevan, Hima, Martin, Darren J. and Annamalai, Pratheep K. (2019). Enhanced dispersion of lignin in polyols for improving sustainability and performance of polyurethane foam based insulation materials. 37th Australasian Polymer Symposium, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia, 10-13 November 2019.

Haridevan, Hima, Martin, Darren J. and Annamalai, Pratheep K. (2019). Influence of bio-derived materials on the microstructure of rigid polyurethane foam at different scales. 37th Australasian Polymer Symposium, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia, 10-13 November 2019.

Haridevan, Hima, Martin, Darren J. and Annamalai, Pratheep K. (2019). Influence of bio-derived materials on the microstructure of rigid polyurethane foam at different scales. 4th International Conference on Frontiers of Composite Materials (ICFCM2019), Brisbane, QLD Australia, 13-16 November 2019.

Thesis

Haridevan, Hima (2022). The Influence of Cellulose Nanofibre and Lignin Additives on the Structure and Properties of Rigid Polyurethane Foam. PhD Thesis, School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/df3fc19